


Infect Me With Your Lunar Heat

by The_Concierge_Of_Crime



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Non-Consensual Oral Sex, Scenes of a Violent Nature, Sometime Poly-Relations, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-01
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-03-04 18:04:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 247,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3078824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Concierge_Of_Crime/pseuds/The_Concierge_Of_Crime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>((Another work Co-Authored by myself and Future_ex that has been posted on LJ previously, hence why some of the chapters may seem small haha also, we own nothing in this work except the plot and character representations; all credit to the WWE etc.))</p><p>Cody Rhodes' life was turned upside down after meeting Ted DiBiase-- a connection that he's been trying his hardest to forget. He'll soon find that merely trying act as though nothing had changed is going to put himself and everyone he loves in danger, and that Pack is hard to fight against, no matter how hard you try.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: The Monthly Cycle

It was a familiar ritual he completed once a month without fail.  
Slipping out of the bed where his boyfriend Drew McIntyre lay sleeping soundly, clueless besides him, Cody Garrett Rhodes exhaled an almost inaudible breath as he crept across the dark bedroom towards the partially open door. Letting his eyes drift to Drew, hearing the continual deep breathing that denoted the Scotsman’s sleep, Cody dodged the creaky board on the other side of the door and then closed the door soundlessly behind him. It took him mere minutes to change into the loose jeans and t-shirt that he had stashed in a side-cupboard for such an event, pulling on a light jacket and grabbing his car keys as he slipped out of his and Drew’s apartment, making his way towards the car-park and into his Mercedes.

Cody was one of the most sought-after journalists in the country and his work around the world kept in a comfortable and yet still modest lifestyle. His car and his wardrobe were probably the two areas in his life wherein he allowed himself to splurge somewhat because, well, one had to look their best, didn’t they? Placing the key into the ignition he heard the smooth purr of the engine coming to life and expertly controlled the car to smoothly exit the car-park and get onto the unsurprisingly quiet roads outside of the apartment-complex he lived in with his partner. The raven haired, cobalt-eyed 21-year-old rolled his broad shoulders and flexed his lean figure restlessly in the car as he drove; placing his foot just that little touch harder down onto the gas peddle and watching as the needle crept steadily higher. It was alright though… an accident even at high-speed in a car wouldn’t hurt him: one of the only plus sides of his… condition.

As soon as the car touched the woods on the outskirts of the city Cody parked in the nearest available area and all but flew out of the car. He had cut it close that night; Drew had stayed up later than usual, had attempted to be all affectionate when they were in bed together, and Cody had had to wait until he was completely out of it before leaving. Drew had caught him out on his late-night trips before and Cody was beginning to run out of excuses. He also knew that Drew wasn’t going to buy them for that much longer. It was something Cody wanted to do. It was something that he had to do. Drew wouldn’t understand. There was no way anyone who didn’t have first-hand experience of his condition could understand.  
Humans weren’t built for such a thing; their internal wiring was too complex, too fragile to handle such information. They couldn’t help it—that was just the way they were. The way he had been before… that had happened. Shaking those thoughts from his mind Cody hastened into the clearing he had come to adopt as his transformation point for his monthly cycle. The wind caressed his flushed skin but did nothing to soothe the heat that was building inside of him and burning outwards; the lunar-heat would not be denied and Cody knew it. Inside the clearing he took a deep breath; he could smell the cars down in the city even though it was a good distance away, he could smell the earth beneath his feet and the trees that surrounded him as well as the animals hidden therein. Animals that he knew would be watching him.

Humans might not be able to tell what they were, but the animals always knew.

Feeling the initial tremors beginning to run through him Cody shrugged off his jacket and tossed it down, lean muscles rippling as he revealed his tanned skin to the cold night air and his t-shirt joined his jacket on the bracken covered floor. Soon his jeans and boxers followed leaving Cody naked as the day he was born, completely free of restriction. And not a moment too soon it seemed because almost immediately Cody was bending double with a gasp of what sounded like intense pain. He was no longer used to the Changes. Once they had been as natural as breathing, but now… now they were difficult. Dreaded. But there was nothing he could do about it.  
Beneath the knowing gaze of the moon Cody’s body began to reshape itself; bones broke and reformed, skin split and then knitted itself back together before it was covered with thick hair the same colour as that which adorned Cody’s head. Soon, the sounds of pain and discomfort that had been filling the air shut off as though someone had turned off a radio. There was nothing. No birds. No animals. No wind. Nothing.  
Where the young man known as Cody Rhodes had stood now stood something else: a giant raven-furred animal that had deep blue eyes that contained a startling amount of intelligence. The wolf shifted slightly, as though testing its own body before it rose onto four massive paws and shook itself. Suddenly, a twig snapped off to the distance and the animal froze for mere seconds before it took off.

It was always more fun when the prey ran; it made the chase and subsequent catch all the more thrilling in the end.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was around five in the morning when a flushed, seemingly much more relaxed Cody snuck back into his apartment. He toed off his shoes as he locked the front door behind him and then slipped silently over to the bedroom door. He eased it open, thinking that he had managed to get away with his little trip remaining undiscovered— until he opened the door and found Drew sitting up in bed, the bedside lamp turned on and an unreadable expression upon his face, his long hair falling over one shoulder, slightly mussed from sleep.  
Cody almost, almost turned and fled back out of the apartment, but he managed to resist the urge and sent Drew a perfectly white smile, “Hey baby, you’re up early.” Drew cocked his head to the side, those dark eyes searching his face and Cody knew he was for it. Even though he had stripped out of the clothes he had donned just to remain in his boxers once more, he’d been caught. “I could say th’ same ta yoo.” His Scottish lover drawled; tone too neutral to be anything but forced.

Attempting to shrug away the accusation that he could just feel, Cody gave a slight laugh and desperately sought an excuse for his late-night vanishing—even though he already knew it was pointless to try. Truth be told he had expected Drew would have left him long before now. The ones he had deigned to let get close always did when they couldn’t just accept his behaviour and let it go. Of course, it was just too strange for them, wasn’t it? There was just too much unnecessary fear, too much of that misguided macho-belief that he would need protecting from the big, bad things that lurked in the dark.  
“I couldn’t sleep, didn’t want to wake you by staying in here.”  
“Why didn’t you just go into the living room then?”  
“I did…” Cody began, but then stopped almost immediately as Drew arched a brow at him and said. “I bet if I check your shoes right now they’ll be dirty.” It had rained last night and the forest was understandably muddy… It wouldn’t be the first time his car tyres or his footwear caught him out.  
“It’s no big deal!” Cody tried to brush it off, still smiling even though his cheeks were beginning to ache with the effort. “I just went for a drive, that’s all!” Not for one minute had he fooled Drew, and even though the other’s face revealed nothing the momentary flicker in Drew’s eyes revealed more than his expression or words ever would.

Cody had failed again.

Drew’s smile was as false as the cheerful tone he used as he next said, “Well, since we’re both up why don’ I take you out te breakfast? There’s gotta be somewhere open this early in a mornin’.” Nodding, Cody held in his defeated sigh as Drew turned away, knowing the other’d hear it. “Do you want te shower first?” Drew asked but Cody shook his head, motioning the other to do so. As Drew vanished into the bathroom Cody moved into the kitchen, seeking out the quickest, most filling snacks he could manage whilst Drew was out of sight.

Sometimes he just got so hungry.

*~*~*~*~*~*

John walked into the bar and immediately took a quick sweep of the room, letting his instincts guide him far more than had it been any other time of the moons cycle. But he was cutting it close and he knew it, then again, he wasn’t the only one. He spied his target right away and even if he hadn’t been able to see the other man, he would have been able to smell him without a problem. His senses were already becoming heightened, the full moon was that night. But regardless of the moon, some senses were always stronger than those of humans and as he turned his head in the direction of the booth in the corner, he already knew the person he was looking for was there. A few steps forward and the man came properly into view; John found himself looking at the familiar features once more. Dark blonde hair kept shortish, the same colour stubble around a firm jaw that showed the man hadn’t shaved in a few days. Broad shoulders currently slightly slumped, blue eyes staring at a bottle of generic brand beer. Although he didn’t look up at John, the slight tensing of the man’s muscles proved that he knew of John’s presence.

“Hi Ted.” John slid into the booth opposite the other and hailed the waitress. “I’ll have another two of those,” he told her, indicating to Ted’s bottle. It might have looked like he was watching her as she headed back to the bar, in actuality he was checking out his surroundings again. It was a faceless bar like any other across the country, darkening skies outside countered by fluorescent lights and neon signs, tables still solid but scarred with use. Too early for the post-work crew, the patrons were the type who looked like they might have their names on a reserved sign on the seats and that went for Ted too, although John knew that not only had he not been there long, he would probably blow town after that night. The sharp smell of alcohol assaulted his nose and John tried not to sigh. He knew the reasoning for sending him on these little check-up jobs rather than someone else – Ted respected him and he was more approachable with problems than certain other people were – but he had never made any kind of headway, no matter what he tried. Part of the reason he had decided to pay his little visit while Ted had a quiet drink, maybe it would make him more talkative. 

“You should go easy on those,” he said as Ted raised the bottle and drained the last of it. “It’s a full moon tonight.” What he didn’t say was that it wasn’t safe for them to lose their senses while they were in their other form, being taken down by a hunter or opportunist was just embarrassing.

Ted snorted. “No shit. I hadn’t realised. I figured the restlessness and the hunger was just because I needed a change of pace.”

John frowned. Ted wasn’t going to make this time any easier than the other times he had been checking in on the other, and he’d been doing so at least once a month since Ted had suddenly announced he needed to be away from their lifestyle for a while. The trouble being that Ted could escape from their way of life if he wanted, but he would never be able to run from who he was. And Ted never used to be this jaded and sarcastic either. Something had sure as hell happened, but Ted had never let on what – although John was pretty sure he could guess. For several months before this change in his friend, Ted had been dating a young man Cody, who was (according to Ted) the most wonderful, handsome, talented and all-round best person to ever walk the face of the earth. But given the secret Ted had been hiding from him, well, John knew from experience (now long in the past) that some confessions would never be made. He assumed that Ted had decided to break things off with Cody over it, and was still in a state of deep depression over it. It would explain his actions of late.

The waitress brought over their beers and John thanked her kindly, gave her a note and insisted she keep the change – but he waited until she was out of earshot before he spoke to Ted again. “You’re still runnin’ then?” 

A minor flash of something in Ted’s eyes before the expression went back to neutral, possibly anger. John actually welcomed it, considering that far too often during his meetings with Ted the man showed a disconcerting lack of feeling anything at all, although John knew damn well that was a mask. But if it was anger he saw, there was no sign of it in Ted’s voice when he spoke. “I’m not running. I’m merely taking some time to explore the country. I’ve always wanted to travel, you know that.”

“If you were going to New York City or the White House, I might buy that. Sitting in some redneck bar in Asshole, Indiana though... it’s a lot harder to believe. And you’ve always preferred city living anyway, most nights of the month.”

Ted’s eyes narrowed. “Well, on those other nights of the month, this night for example, it’s far better to be somewhere unpopulated and wide open.”

“Perhaps. But you coped before and you’re not just here because it’s that time again. It’s always some honky-tonk town like this one, some wide spot in the road. That’s not seeing the country, that’s runnin’. It’s more like a punishment than travelling.” He paused a moment and then decided to spit it out because dancing around the subject hadn’t done him much good. “Is it somethin’ to do with Cody?”

Ted flinched and there was definitely something in his eyes this time – not anger though, John was sure. It seemed to John to be miserable guilt, but why that should be he didn’t know. Ted had no doubt lied to Cody, in their condition they could do little else, he had probably broken the young man’s heart alongside his own when he had split up with him without warning or reason. But those things certainly should not have devastated Ted to the extent that he wanted to break from his life and hide from it all.

“It’s everything to do with Cody.” Ted’s eyes were downcast and when he glanced up at John, the older man didn’t like that secretive, rather ashamed look on his face. “Ever since I met him, everything’s been about him. But this is...” Abruptly he shook his head, picking up the bottle and draining the contents in several long swallows. John had to keep from raising his eyebrows. Ted was a relatively normal young man, in spite of the obvious difference to others, and John had seen him take a drink on several occasions, although the man seemed determined to take it easy when he did. Relinquishing control was not something Ted did easily. He had never seen Ted do something like that before. 

There was something eating away at Ted. John had known it all along, but this was the closest he had ever come to getting a confession about what it might be. Perhaps it was becoming too much to hold inside or maybe Ted had drunk more than John realised... although he would have smelled it if Ted really had been drinking more than he seemed, regardless of mouthwash or deodorant. John decided to keep pushing. Maybe he would get nowhere but even this small headway was enough to encourage his eternally optimistic nature. 

“This is what?” His blue eyes were friendly but bored into Ted intently. He had to know, because this couldn’t go on and just maybe there was something he could do to help. “I know there was somethin’ special between you two, but I can’t think that a break up would make you act like this. What’s really happenin’ with you?”

Ted stared at the table for such a long time that John thought he wasn’t going to answer and once more, John would be leaving Ted alone with whatever was plaguing his conscience unspoken. And then Ted sighed, looking up at John and meeting his eyes. John realised he hadn’t been wrong about the look in them – desperate unhappiness and obvious guilt. But he couldn’t fathom what the hell Ted of all people could have done to make him feel that way...

“I bit him.”

John’s jaw dropped. He didn’t need Ted to explain any more – and biting wasn’t really such an issue when they were walking around on two legs. As a species they were prone to biting when they got excited and that certainly happened when they were getting intimate with their other halves. But it was safe then. It only became an issue when they were in their other forms and a bite could have – consequences. And never pleasant ones. Usually such a motormouth, John couldn’t think of a single thing to say for long moments, just staring at Ted as the other dropped his eyes and started tearing the label off his beer bottle.

John finally managed to get his mouth working. “How?” he asked, aware that his voice held a note of incredulity. “I mean, he didn’t know... did he? What were you doing changed in front of him? How could it happen?” 

Ted didn’t look up again and John wished he could take back the words, or at least the accusatory tone he’d used. Reaching across the table, he touched Ted’s hand lightly, thinking for a moment he’d made yet another mistake when the other tensed. But then he glanced up and read the weather in John’s face – and John hoped that he looked as honestly concerned as he felt and not angry. He didn’t feel angry, but he was shocked. Not just that Ted had done such a thing in the first place, although he was having some trouble believing it given how obvious Ted’s love for Cody had been when he’d spoken of him. But hiding such a secret for all this time – they were admittedly used to keeping their secrets but this one had been tearing Ted apart.

“Tell me how it happened Teddy.”

Ted gave a slight shrug, barely noticeable and John took his hand from Ted’s before anyone could notice and comment on it. That was the last thing they needed, at a time when the beast was so close to the surface – and might that be a reason for Ted finally coming clean? Regardless, they didn’t need to attract attention to themselves. 

“I hadn’t been feeling well,” said Ted in a rather low voice that John had no problem hearing even so. “Had some bug or virus or something, probably would have knocked me right off my feet if we weren’t so hardy—“This statement was accompanied by an unamused smile. “—And I was feeling pretty damn bad. Cody kept telling me I needed to go to the doctor but I could hardly do that, so he was looking after me some. He took my spare keys, came over when he could and babied me – really looked after me.” There was a genuine, if rather small and sad smile touching his lips, genuine affection in his voice at the memory. “He had to go out of town suddenly for work though – just in time in my point of view, given what the moon was doing. He didn’t want to go, but I talked him into it, promised I’d look after myself, go see that doctor if I didn’t feel better.”

The smile left his face. “I went out for a while, running and the usual, but I got tired real easily and went home – Cody always wanted to know what was with the dog flap in the door, I told him it was there when I moved in and I might want to get a dog someday. You know what my house was like. I went into the living room, jumped onto the couch, fell asleep. And woke up suddenly to hear someone walking into the room.”

He shrugged. “I was just woken up, still the wolf and I just acted on instinct... I went for the person walking in, assumed it was an intruder. Went for the throat but he got an arm in the way and I knocked him into a wall, bit him there instead – and that was when I smelled him. Cody. He hadn’t gone, he was too worried about me and came back to check on me. Only he found me like that and I just...” He shook his head, words trailing off. 

John bit his lip, not wanting to ask but knowing he had to. “Is he dead?” For someone who had just been changed, the transformation could cause an incredible amount of stress to the body. There were so few of them because of that; most people didn’t survive their first change, hearts simply giving out with the shock and pain of it and leaving a human corpse to puzzle over.

Ted shook his head. “I stuck around that long, checking on him – I couldn’t not do. But he guessed almost right away, once I backed off and left him be. He knew it was me and I – betrayed him like that. I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t undo it. I stayed the hell away from him after that, I couldn’t – I just couldn’t face him after what I did.” He sighed. “But the next night, I was right there watching him, not that he knew that. I knew he might not survive and I could add killing him to the ways I wrecked his life – but he did. I think he might have realised I was around when he’d done changing, but I didn’t hang around to find out. Took a leave of absence from my job and got the hell out of his life before I could do him any more damage.” His eyes didn’t leave the table. “I love Cody, more than anything. And after what I did, he deserves better than me.”

“It was an accident Ted,” said John gently. “They happen.”

“An accident is breaking his computer or dropping something on his foot. I turned him into a fucking werewolf. Some things, you can’t forgive. You know how hard it is and Cody’s not the secretive type. This is probably tearing him up.”

John took a sip of his beer. “You should have said something right away. You know the pack could have helped him—“

“No.” Ted looked up again, this time determination in his features. “I don’t want to drag him into this life. He should stay far removed.”

“But we could have helped him!” John frowned, not really wanting to set Ted off but knowing that in this case, saying nothing had been entirely the wrong choice. “Adjusting to all this is that much harder without help and since you took off, we could have been there to help him. He didn’t have to go through this alone.”

Ted’s expression was still guilty, but there was slight resentment in his face too. “No. That wouldn’t have done because he would have been dragged into the whole life – the midnight runs and the pack politics, the whole works. I didn’t want him mixed up with the pack, that’s why none of you ever met him. And I don’t want you telling them about this. Especially not Chris.”

“Ted...” John’s voice came out a little lower than previously and his frown deepened; they didn’t have the time for a long argument about this. They should be thinking about getting the hell out and somewhere safe, although John doubted that Ted would join him for a midnight run. “I have to. We have to be careful and having a newbie running around could put all of us in danger. If he makes a mistake or a mess, there could be serious repercussions, for all of us. We have to find him, talk to him—“

“No.” Ted shook his head emphatically. “I don’t want him involved in our life. It’s too much and Cody – he can deal with this, but I don’t want him pulled into it anymore than he is.”

“Tough.” John wasn’t smiling as he spoke. “He’s involved Ted and we need to do something about this. We can help, no one’s about to force him into the pack if he doesn’t want to be involved, but he should at least get the choice.” He paused. “You never had a problem, we let you take off when you wanted to.”

“Yeah, and I get a babysitter shadowing me everywhere I go.” Deep sarcasm laced Ted’s voice. “That doesn’t sound like I’m making any kind of clean break at all. I don’t know how you work out where I am, I never tell you or anyone else.”

“It’s not a deep dark secret. You know what a computer geek Evan is, he just traces your IP address when you hit the library and mail us. We check up on you because we care, we leave you in some kind of peace the rest of the time because we care about you. And you probably figured out how we know where we are, but you always mail to check in anyway. Because you care about us too and you don’t mind being checked in on.”

Ted sighed, John was right on the money there. But he didn’t want them to worry, because he knew they had his best interests at heart. “That’s not the point. You leave Cody out of this, don’t approach him, don’t get him involved.” He could hope that they wouldn’t be able to trace Cody, he didn’t think he had told any of the pack his last name – but they knew what he looked like, roughly where he lived. And they were smart.

“Time we got out of here,” he said, leaning back and making to move from the table. “It’s getting close to night.”

“Yeah.” John stood up too, having left half of his beer. “You wanna spend the evening taking a break from the whole ‘lone wolf’ act?”

Ted almost laughed at that one. “You’re not alone, are you?” When John grinned and shook his head, Ted shook his own in response. “I’ll leave you two to it. I’ll see you around. And John.” He gave John a stern look. “Leave Cody alone. I mean it.”

John watched Ted as he left the bar, remaining quiet. In spite of what Ted had asked, John had no intention of not hunting out Cody and making some kind of contact. Something that Ted probably realised. He would spend the night running through the fields, hunting, and every night that the moon was full. And then, he would be running again. The only question was where he’d be running to – because John suspected that this little conversation was the thing, perhaps the only thing, that would coax Ted back to his own home, and Cody. If he really was serious about no one contacting Cody about this issue.

He left the bar, making his way back to where he had parked the car. Even after half a beer he would not have risked driving but he wasn’t going to be in a condition to do so anyway, nor did he need to get a room because he wouldn’t be sleeping that night. He could see the silhouette of a man in the passenger side and smiled; at least his own partner didn’t come with the problems that the apparent love of Ted’s life did. 

Randy let himself out of the car, raised a hand in greeting and looked around, scenting the air. But they had chosen their spot well, a secluded back road near the town limits, plenty of running room. They probably wouldn’t even need the sign in the front window, broken down, back in morning, that they used to allay suspicion about the apparently abandoned car. Moving to the back of the car, Randy popped open the boot and started stripping off his shirt, giving John a half-smile as the other joined him. “How did it go?”

John stripped off his own shirt, thinking. Randy had always been fond of Ted, almost brotherly. And had it been Randy who had been questioning Ted, they might have found out earlier or not at all, Ted wanted Randy’s good opinion too badly to be comfortable admitting to a screw up of this scale. “He actually talked to me this time,” he said slowly. “But he’s got trouble. I don’t think we’ve got time to go into it now, but we’re gonna have to chase up his ex, this Cody. I don’t know his last name though...”

“It’s Rhodes,” said Randy in an almost guttural voice, pants coming off and going into the boot. “Ted showed me something he got published. We’ll head back home tomorrow and chase him up.”

John nodded, grateful that Randy trusted him enough to be able to accept what he had to say without question. But there really wasn’t the time and it was hard to have that kind of conversation through a muzzle. And even if he hadn’t been able to see the moon then he would have felt its influence. Glancing to the side, he could see that his lover was no longer a man and a moment later, neither was John.

~*~*~*~*~*~

A slim, somewhat small hand rested atop the cold glass of a large bay window, as a lithe, slightly small male looked out over the darkening forest that surrounded the rustic manor that his lover owned. Evan Bourne smiled softly to himself the way he always did at the mere thought of Chris; the man was his soul-mate, his other-half, and he adored him to the point where John and Randy would always tease him that he was a love-sick puppy. Puppy was reference to the in-pack playful joke referring to his small stature. And he wasn’t kidding about being small: he was the smallest in their quaint little pack. It was something that occasionally caused him bouts of self-consciousness and irritation, but he had long since gotten over the worst of his hang-ups. Besides, just because he was small didn’t mean he was weedy, far from it. He had a deceptively strong body, and was proficient in several types of martial arts and self-defence. Chris had taught him some things as well since they had gotten together.

Speaking of Chris… Evan sighed softly and leant back against the strong wall of his lover’s chest as familiar arms enveloped him. A soft growl left him as Chris nuzzled his throat, licking the smooth skin there. “You ready to go, baby?” the smaller nodded, turning in the elder’s arms and leaning up for a kiss that was relatively chaste, but that showed the primal heat surging through them both that culminated every month at the same time. “Ready.” He curled his fingers through Chris’ and they then headed downstairs together from their bedroom, bypassing the other rooms and several floors until they were leaving the house. Tanned skin glinted almost in the moonlight, the pair of them already naked in preparation for their transformation. “When will the others be coming back?” Evan asked softly as he and Chris made their way towards a well-known clearing in the woods that surrounded the estate the pack lived on. Chris turned his blonde-brown head to his lover, expression turning to one of contemplation—though to those who didn’t know him it might look like disinterest.

“Well, that all depends on our Theodore now, doesn’t it?” he mused, reaching a hand out and caressing Evan’s cheek, “If he keeps resisting us then we shall just keep up our offensive… he can’t run forever. We’re family, we have bonds… and those bonds can’t be ignored.”

They all had a vague idea what had happened (well, who it had involved) to make Ted flee, but they couldn’t do anything until Ted told them the truth and opened up to them.

Soon, much like their fellow pack brethren hundreds of miles away, two large wolves stood in the place of the two young men; a dirty blonde wolf and a jet-black wolf, the latter slightly smaller than the former. The smaller had familiar deep chocolate coloured eyes that glinted with playfulness as he took a light snap as his companion’s hind. The bigger wolf responded in-kind and soon they were both racing through the trees and into the undergrowth. They had been monitoring their pack-brother since his sudden leaving, but they hadn’t attempted to force him to return home because they knew that Ted was stubborn and forcing his hand would be counter-productive. However, there would be time enough to worry about such technical matters and to get in touch with the others tomorrow, for now they just had to be concerned about one another and the moon hanging high above them. The ever-present reminder of just how different they were from other people.


	2. Chapter One: A Blast From The Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cody attends a McIntyre family function and recalls anew how hard being human is now. And matters go from bad to worse when he finds himself summoned to the Pack's Mansion under strict order of the 'Alpha', the group determined to bring him into the fold and show him the ways of the wolf.

Cody was in Hell. Ok, or at least in the figurative representation of it. Where was he exactly? At a breakfast with Drew’s family, but without Drew there. The other had suddenly been called away for work.

Three weeks. Drew was going to be gone for three weeks, and had sworn to Cody that he would make it up to him when he returned home. Cody had gritted his teeth and forced a smile, telling his lover that he would still go to the family breakfast for the other, considering that the breakfast was technically the prelude for Drew’s mother’s birthday. They were lovely people, and had accepted him quite gracefully, but… well, he was just so, awkward around them.

It was just so apparent that he was so out-of-it in terms of human behaviour. He always seemed to do something that would bring about that overly-amused laughter and those comment about how, “He was so quirky!”

Pulling up out front of Drew’s parents’ home –they had relocated when their son had told them how much he enjoyed the States- Cody sighed heavily

Tucking the present that he had for the other man’s mother under his arm, Cody then exited his car and locked it behind him before then heading up the front walk. He had barely brought his hand up to knock when the door was being pulled open, Drew’s mother standing there with a bright smile on her face. “Cody! Welcome dear, come on in!” she reached out, all but hauling him over the threshold with a shocking show of strength.

Smiling slightly more genuinely now (because they were really nice people in Drew’s family) Cody leant and kissed the plump Scottish woman’s cheek, “Hello Maryanne, happy birthday.” He held out the box he had wrapped—Drew was terrible when it came to wrapping presents. Actually, Drew was terrible at all the little things like that. He had needed to keep Cody on the phone to even check that the present was alright for goodness sake, and it was his own mother!

Drew’s sister Emily came out of the living-room, her dark hair settling in a jaunty bob around her face. Crushing him in a hug much like her mother had, Cody then watched as he inspected him with critical eyes. “And where is that brother of mine this time?” giving a slight awkward smile, Cody then sighed and ran a hand through his carefully styled hair out of habit as he answered slowly, “Uh, he’s, um, got some work that needs sorting out… he said he’d call later on when he’s gotten himself settled in his hotel.” Emily clucked her tongue in that way that Cody had noted all the women in Drew’s family seemed to do. They had a lot of relatives over from the sound of it.

Apparently Drew’s family hadn’t taken well to the fact that Drew was homosexual initially, but they seemed to have warmed up to Cody well and welcomed him into the fold with no bother at all… and the family atmosphere was also something that Cody wasn’t used to. He had lost his parents in an accident when he was a child; an accident that had caused him to have the slightly elongated scar along the back of his thigh. It had mostly healed now, but you could see it somewhat—if he let you get intimate enough with him that was.

Soon, Cody found himself thrown into the throng of McIntyre’s and exhaled softly to himself as he began getting bombarded with questions about how he and Drew were doing, what sort of things had they in mind for the future. Slightly unnervingly Drew’s mother had actually floated the idea of marriage into the air.

Although it had taken some effort Cody managed not to choke on the little sausage roll that he had picked up from the buffet table out of politeness more than a necessity to eat. As the others of his kind, he had a continuous and healthy appetite, but whenever he was around the McIntyre’s he was so conscious of trying to appear normal that he was pretty sure he just made himself stand out even more than he had been intending to.

He just couldn’t win.

Giving a slightly nervous laugh Cody attempted to segue the conversation onto something else; momentarily assuming that he hadn’t succeeded when one of Drew’s aunties suddenly appeared and began to commandeer the conversation. Considering this a blessing Cody backed up somewhat and then leant against the wall. If Drew had been here then the attention would have been on him, but because he wasn’t Cody was his fall-guy. This had been happening more and more recently, Cody had found—and he was getting somewhat sick of it if he was perfectly honest.

It was about two hours later when Cody managed to get away from the house politely, pleading that he had work of his own to be getting on with, and promising that he would call around for dinner as soon as possible.

Getting back into his car Cody pulled himself into the mid-day traffic and turned on the radio to drown out the sound of angry drivers honking at one another. Although the area wasn’t as bad as he was sure the media presented it, it wasn’t the most relaxed place on earth. Cody had always assumed that he would feel more comfortable trying to lose himself in the continual throng of humans… but it hadn’t worked the way that he had intended. He felt more claustrophobic and out-of-place than he ever had, but… he couldn’t go back to That Place, where He was. His heart wouldn’t let him. It had been broken once and he had refused to look back since it had happened.

The full moon wasn’t been the only time he had been running.

Although, to be perfectly honest, he wasn’t the only one who had run. He had run too, as soon as the reality of what had happened had sunk in. Cody was only alerted to the fact that he was bending his steering-wheel out of shape with the force he was holding it with when the material began to creak in protest underneath his hands. Cursing softly he forced himself to ease up; that always happened whenever he thought about Him.

In all honesty Cody did care for Drew, but… he loved someone else. He loved the one who had bitten him and cursed him to weeks of confusion, uncertainty and fear. And, yes, despite all that he still loved him. The ravenette pulled up in the parking-lot for their apartment complex and then used his key to open the gate. Parking in his usual place he then closed the gate behind him and locked his car. Suddenly, a scent that he hadn’t smelt in months crossed his senses and he stiffened despite himself. Slowly, he turned his head around to try and seek out the presence that was carrying the scent. He couldn’t see anyone. The ravenette shook himself and snickered at his own paranoia; thinking about the past was obviously messing with his head and making him imagine things that weren’t there.

Inside the elevator, Cody took a moment to look at himself. He was clad in some nice jeans and a shirt, having made an effort to look nice for Drew’s family. He was no narcissist but he knew that he looked good, and he supposed that was what made him so acceptable to the humans even when he made his continual faux-pas in behaviour. They over-looked his actions because of his ‘tragic childhood’, gave him sympathy he’d never wanted or needed.

However, it if got them off of his back then he was willing to put up with it. Reaching his and Drew’s apartment the ravenette then let himself in. Almost immediately two scents that he vaguely recalled assaulted him again and he felt himself immediately going on the defensive. Slowly, carefully, he began walking through their little entrance hallway into their wide open living-room/kitchen.

And sitting there almost as though they had been invited in, not having broken in somehow, as though they did it every day, were two men that Cody only knew vaguely… but what he knew about them vaguely was more than enough to set him upon alert. “What are you doing here?” he demanded, covering up his shock and unnerved initial reaction with brusqueness.

Much to his consternation they looked more amused than anything and Cody growled before he could catch himself. “Cody Rhodes,” the taller of the two men said, Cody seeing an impressive amount of ink upon the man’s exposed arms, “—top class journalist, well-respected young man within the neighbourhood and local community—“Cody bristled at the smirk the short-haired man sent him as he finished off the little bio with, “—you were harder to track down than we had anticipated. And trust me when I say that it isn’t easy to hide yourself away from us.” The tall stranger had deep silvery-grey eyes that seemed to look right through you, and a handsome face that was well worth more than a second look.

“And you must be Randy Orton, am I right?” Cody returned.

Randy acknowledged the correct assumption with what could be considered a regally arrogant incline of his head; something that made his baby-blue eyed, short brown haired companion roll his eyes and give a small smile of amused exasperation.

“Sorry t’ just drop in on ya like this Cody,” the second man then said, Cody turning cobalt eyes on him instead.

Whereas Randy was long, this man was broad shouldered and stockier. Both were tall, well-built and attractive. They also smelled good… and of each other.

“John Cena,” Cody stated, recognising the man from the same picture that he had seen in his ex-lover’s house. The one who had bitten him had been close to these two, and now that he was also of their kind he could recognise that slight spike to their scent that allowed them to distinguish their kind and others. “—right?”

“Sharp kid,” a dimpled smile greeted Cody’s words, the man not seeming the slightest bit put off by Cody’s deliberately hostile manner. “—yes, you got it right.” He then looked curious, “Can’t say we were expecting you to recognise us.” He then paused and amended, “Well, I wasn’t expecting that you would recognise me, anyway.” He wasn’t as high-profile as his mate.

Randy was a high-profile male-model who had appeared on TV, billboards and magazines from everything from fashion to household products; his handsome face and continually open sex-appeal charmed nearly every human he came across whether they were attached, single, gay or straight. It was something that could occasionally drive John wild with jealousy… but Randy had never strayed from him and had never given any serious indication to wanting to do so either.

And, where his lover was a model, John was actually a primary school teacher at a school not too far away from their pack’s manor down in Massachusetts. Shocking? Maybe, given that he had gone from being in the army to teaching.

“I know you,” Cody started, and then cleared his throat softly, “—to some degree anyway.” This made Randy lean forward, elbows resting atop thick thighs encased in black jeans, a leather jacket draped on besides him on the faux leather couch. “And how do you know us? About us, specifically.”

Cody tensed and John mentally cursed Randy for his lack of tact. “I don’t know what you were talking about and I suggest that you both leave before I call the police and have you arrested for breaking and entering.”

Randy almost laughed, but managed to hold it back when his lover sent him a warning look. “I repeat:” Cody began, voice trembling slightly, body just itching to flee as his flight-or-fight instinct kicked in, “—I don’t know what you mean.”

“We know what Ted did to you,” John began gently and Cody seemed to flinch and deflate at the sound of their pack-brother’s name. The younger man moved to the free arm-chair that hadn’t one of his visitors sitting in it and sank down onto it. He folded his arms over his chest and crossed his legs ankle to thigh, unspeaking. “And that is why we’re here.” He continued in the same low tone.

“I don’t really think it’s any of your business—“  
“Yeah, well, you thought wrong.” Randy said before Cody could even get started, “The minute Ted got his teeth into you, you became pack to us. That means that you should have been brought to our estate and we would have taught you how to adjust to your new lifestyle.” Cody clenched his jaw and Randy’s lips curled into a slight smirk; this one had some feist in him and Randy bet he was an animal in bed.

He had to admit, their Teddy had snagged himself a good one here—if he could just stop beating himself up and claimed what was technically already his that was.

“Maybe I don’t want your help,” Cody snapped, “I think I’ve had enough ‘help’ from people like you to last me a lifetime!”

Both of the older men tensed at the slur against their friend, but John could sense that there was something more than anger within the young man when it came to their Ted. The way Cody’s heart skipped several beats every time someone said Ted’s name was a big give-away.

“Cody, I know you must be upset by what happened—“John ignored the snort of derision that Cody gave at his words and continued, “—but you can’t keep hating Ted. He hates himself enough for it as it is.” Cody felt his heart sink slightly at the thought of Ted upset, but he forced himself to keep his posture and composure as stoic as possible. The chance of his momentary relaxation being missed by the other two was slim, but Cody was hoping anyway. “Well, you’re both barking up the wrong tree: Ted DiBiase is no concern of mine anymore.” He said flatly.

“Liar.” Randy said harshly and Cody flinched before levelling a glare at the man. However, Randy wasn’t going to end what he had to say on that note, “This isn’t just about you and Ted. Our pack monitors all new-borns and lone wolves within thousands of miles of our pack’s estate.” From one border line to another was technically their territory and as such they monitored it carefully.

“I’m doing just fine.” Cody indicated the room around him, “My boyfriend and I are doing just fine.” There; if Ted had happened to send these two after him he was going to at least make it seem like he had moved on, because that had been all he had been trying to do since that day when that dog –no, not dog, Ted- had bitten him and changed his life forever. “So, you can both go back now to wherever you live and just butt out of my life.” The smile Randy sent him wasn’t really a smile at all… he just kinda showed his teeth.

“I’m afraid we can’t do that Cody,” John mentally winced at the thought of Cody having another lover, because they were a naturally possessive and jealous species and since Ted had been the one to bite Cody he had de facto claimed him; especially considering that they had been in love with one another before the biting incident. “We’ve been sent here by our Alpha—our leader,” he enunciated since Cody momentarily looked confused, “—and we have to bring you back with us.”

Knowing that the young man was going to be beyond pissed with what would happen next, John took a breath, “Our Alpha commands you return with us to our estate in Mass.”

Suddenly, Cody found his legs moving towards his bedroom of his own volition. “Hey!” he cried out slightly, trying to stop but finding that although his mind was making the command his body was just not listening to him. He found himself reaching for the suitcase he used when he was going away, beginning to throw clothes into it. Randy listened to Cody attempting to stop himself and looked to John in amusement, “Well, at least it’s not me having rank pulled on them for once.”

Ted knew as soon as he got there that he was too late.

It had taken some real work to find Cody; the man had apparently upped stakes and taken off almost as soon as Ted himself had, no forwarding address. No records. It wasn’t until he called the newspaper that employed Cody and he had spoken to a sympathetic employee that he had gotten the address, but when he checked out said address, the place was registered to someone else. A guy named McIntyre. When Ted found this out, his eyes narrowed and he gave a deep and angry growl that had the guy in the library next to him moving away quickly. Ted took no notice, instead arranging to get back – not that he held out high hopes of beating John. John would phone Chris, who would speak to Evan, who would trace Cody easily and then they would be on to him while Ted was still trying to chase up where his ex-lover might be hiding.

He tried of course. But when he got to Cody’s new home, he could smell at least one unfamiliar scent and three that he knew well. The first made his heart ache in a way he hadn’t suspected it could – Cody, here recently. The other two made his hands twitch into fists; Randy and John. After he warned John not to approach Cody. Bastard. John hadn’t respected his wishes, as he’d known the other would not, even as he’d been spilling his tale – and had warned himself of that, but he simply hadn’t been able to keep it a secret any longer. It had torn him apart, keeping quiet. And he’d involved Randy, which Ted had known he would but made him cringe anyway – out of all the pack, Ted had most looked up to Randy and never, ever wanted the older man to think he could fuck up on the level he had done. But why else would Randy be at Cody’s apartment, unless he knew?

The third smell made the fine hairs on the back of his neck raise and that same low growl emerge from him again. That smell was new, but he could detect Cody in there. Someone else, with Cody. His Cody. It was all he could do not to track that smell and rip the man limb from limb. They were compelled to be wolves during the full moon – but that didn’t mean he couldn’t change at will. Not that he usually felt the urge, but right then, he could happily have changed and killed. Very easily. 

Instead, he tried the handle. The door swung inward easily (and Cody was probably lucky not to have been ripped off, such things would never occur to either John or Randy although Ted would lock up after he had left). The Randy/John smell was almost solid at the couch, although they smelled like each other and it had been too long since they had been there for him to distinguish which had sat where. In his other form he might have known, but he needed all his senses with him and knowing they had been there was enough. Cody had sat away from them, in the other chair. Ted scowled, chasing the older scent with Cody’s fresher one overlaid, to the bedroom (with a king-size bed and wardrobes with very different styles of clothes, not to mention two hairbrushes, one with a very un-Codylike long light-brown hair caught in it) and working Cody’s movements out. Cody had walked in, sat with John and Randy, got up and gone to the bedroom, then walked out of the apartment with the two of them.

Ted could lay odds on where they went and not be worried about losing his money. To the manor. The manor where their alpha lived and oversaw all of their lives, much to Ted’s (admittedly recent) resentment. One thing about their species was that they appealed to people, be it in person or over artificial media and their alpha was a charismatic rock-star who toured once a year and still managed to have people eating from the palm of his hand. The same reason Randy made such a successful model (although Ted admitted, being drop-dead attractive didn’t hurt him). The same reason that Ted, as a financial advisor, was able to charm so many people into making apparently shaky investments. Even if they always worked out.

He stood in the centre of a living room that Cody shared with a man who wasn’t him and realised that he had only one option. He was going to have to confront the whole pack, including the man he’d already doomed to a life of abnormality, to get Cody back.

~~

The manor wasn’t as imposing as the outside would have one believe. The main room was a living room with several large and comfortable rugs on the floor, leather couches that were enough for ten people to sit comfortably on and a large plasma in one corner that didn’t seem to get much use. Cody sat on one of the couches, his case at his feet, wondering just how the hell he had gotten there. He hadn’t wanted to go, that was the truth – he just hadn’t seemed able to help himself. And he found himself confronted with something of a celebrity.

Chris Jericho didn’t do his kind of music. That didn’t mean he hadn’t heard of the man – but he had certainly never heard that the man was actually not so much man as wolf, that he lived with a much younger man who sat on the arm of his chair watching Cody but occasionally turning his attention to Chris and sending loving looks, that he also lived with a model and a teacher who were sat nearby and watching the whole scene with interest. Not to mention, he had never dreamt that his Teddy would have anything to do with anything like this. 

“Thank you for coming Cody,” said Chris calmly and Cody had the urge to laugh – as if he’d had the choice! “It shouldn’t have taken so long – I didn’t realise Ted had changed you.”

He looked almost shamefaced as he continued, Cody noticed. “Although Ted is of our pack, I think it’s healthy to have a life outside of it. I knew Ted was taken with you and I should have realised the extent. It’s our instinct to change our loved ones.” His eyes went almost imperceptibly to the young man beside him, then back to Cody. “I imagine you might have some questions.”

“Questions.” Cody laughed hollowly, wondering even as he did so if it was a good idea. He didn’t care. How much more surreal could it get? “Yeah, actually. I stopped by my boyfriend’s house, I get bitten by a dog and now I turn into a dog any time the moon is full. And you wanna know if I have questions.” That same hollow laugh. 

Chris seemed unaffected by the whole thing. “Not a dog. A wolf. According to what Ted told John, he didn’t want to change you at all, but that’s Ted all over. He’d rather suffer alone than let you in and believe me, this is a condition you can either suffer through or learn to enjoy. Ted was changed when he was seventeen by the way, one of his hunting trips... but I’ll let him tell you the details. Since he will be coming back.”

Cody started to say something, let the words trail away, shaking his head. “No, he’s not. And who are you to him?”

“We’re his pack.” Chris tilted his head to one side. “We have certain, uh, instincts. One of those is that we need to be around others of our own type, although I’m not sure that particular instinct isn’t part of our human side. We live twenty six, twenty seven days – and nights – a month completely normally. And then we have those other times. We can hunt, we can run or frolic, we just need to let that side of ourselves loose. We’re hungry a lot, we could never be vegetarians, but we can control it. And learning control is so much easier with people who have been through it. We can help you Cody, we want to help you. That doesn’t mean you answer to us about your life outside of the pack, but you do answer to us and especially to me, when you do anything as the wolf. Because anything you do, that could affect us. We keep a low profile and we don’t need someone coming along and getting us all into hot water. That’s why I keep a tab on all lones and newbies that come along, except...” he growled slightly, startling Cody. “Ted didn’t see fit to tell us about you and you’ve stayed under our radar, until now.”

“And you’re pissed about that,” said Cody, rather startling himself.

Chris hesitated a moment, then nodded. “Yes, I am. And Ted’s gonna have some serious questions to answer when he gets back. We knew he was running, but...” He shook his head. “He didn’t say. And I assumed he was running because he didn’t want you to know what he was. I do know that he would never have headed off if he wasn’t devastated. And he couldn’t have changed you if he didn’t have that – it doesn’t translate well. Life-mate connection.” He considered the words, then nodded. “That’ll do. I don’t mean that he couldn’t have turned you, but he would never have had the instinct to do so. If I know Ted, he fought it for a long time. John said Ted was sick...” He looked over at John for confirmation. “He might not have realised what he was doing at the time, but at some instinctual level, he probably did know.”

Cody closed his eyes. “Look – Chris. You have to know how weird this is.”

“Yeah.” Chris sounded almost amused, but Cody never opened his eyes. 

“Ted wouldn’t have hurt me. Ever. God, he was worried about.... well, he would never have done anything, anything to hurt me.”

“Cody.” 

Cody felt a hand on his face and opened his eyes, seeing that it was Chris who had a hand resting on his cheek. “No, he wouldn’t. But sometimes, instinct will out. That’s one of the reasons I’m asking you to join the pack.”

Cody stared. He couldn’t think of anything to say in response, but Chris helped him out with that.

“For your safety. We can help you get accustomed to the change, we know the safe places to go – hell, we’re even able to come out and play at certain times.” This with a smile.

“And for our safety too. We need to know what you’re doing, what your intentions are and if you’re part of the pack it makes it easier to cover you up...” Chris’ smile became apologetic. “To put you down too. We don’t need a rogue fouling up what we have. Which at the moment is a few wolves who don’t kill chickens, take down the occasional wild deer and don’t have everyone with a gun taking pot-shots at anything furry.”

“And how would I explain this all to Drew?”

“Drew?” Chris looked confused, until John made some motions explaining it. “Oh! Drew! Well... you never met us before now, right? And we’re a huge part of Ted’s life.”

“Not that huge, since I never met you.” The words were bitter. “And if I became part of your ‘pack’ and I got more serious with Drew, he’d want to meet you.”

“We can fake being human most of the month, we can manage it around your boyfriend.” Chris had a voice that was calm, however the undertone was unmistakably denouncing the relationship. “Thing is Cody, I want to help you work out this whole thing. And I’m the Alpha male around here. I really can help you. Or you can fight this and be as damned lonely and isolated as you’ve been since your change. I’m offering you people you can be yourself around. I’m also offering you the people that Ted is gonna be coming back to.”

Cody sat back and sighed. “Look, this ‘pack’, you’re telling me you get what it’s like to be me all of a sudden?”

Chris considered. “Not quite what it’s like to be you. But similar. There’s not a lot of people who’re in your situation.”

Cody gave that hollow laugh again. “Can I think about it?”

“Sure.” Chris let his hand go to Cody’s shoulder. “But here. You’ll have a room of your own, we won’t disturb you. Even if you decide to leave. But we need to protect ourselves and you’re a loose end. I hope you understand.”

“Sure,” said Cody, even though he really didn’t. He just wanted some peace. 

Chris turned his gaze on Randy. “Take our guests case to the spare room?”

“Got it.” That Randy had agreed to something that quickly alerted Cody more than any talk about Alphas ever could do. He watched Randy take his bag, John following him. 

It turned out that Chris had followed him, almost silently and when he spoke in Cody’s ear, the younger man almost yelled in alarm. “Cody,” he added in a more confidential tone. “I didn’t want to say this in front of them, even though they know already. Wolves mate for life.”

“Good for wolves.” Cody stared at the staircase in frustration. He just wanted to be alone. 

“Which means that so do we. My mate turned up pretty late in the game, whereas John and Randy found each other almost immediately. And you – you and Ted are in love, right? No matter who this Drew is, you want Ted.”

“NO!” Cody turned and practically sprayed spittle in Chris’ face. “He did this to me! He’s the reason I’m here instead of at home! He’s the reason I spend three days a month on four legs instead of two! He’s the reason Drew and I can never really be close!” 

Chris regarded this outburst stoically. “You still love him.”

“If he loved me, he would have never left me to – to this.” Cody indicated to his surroundings and sighed, starting up the stairs and pausing a moment when he realised he had no idea where he was going – ah well, he could always follow the scent John and Randy left behind. He was, after all, a werewolf. 

“Chris, you suck at diplomacy,” said a quiet voice behind him and a moment later, the young man who had been sitting with Chris joined him on the stairs. “Hi, I’m Evan. I’ll show you around the place a little, it’s kinda big but you’ll get used to it.” Evan bounded up the stairs, Cody following at a slower pace – he could have kept up but right then, he didn’t have the heart and it was like depression was adding a physical weight to slow him down. Evan seemed not to mind. 

“The whole pack has rooms here, but mostly people live on their own,” Evan continued conversationally. “It’s probably because even we need our privacy, but it makes things easier if we can all stay here at that time of the month.” He chuckled at the euphemism. “Chris likes to keep a careful eye on us, but he’s pretty easy-going, if you stay on the right side of him. This room here,” he indicated to one of the doors they were passing. “That’s where Ted stays when he’s here – he’s not been back here forever it feels like.” He sighed, looking momentarily depressed. Cody could imagine him in wolf form suddenly, ears against his head and tail lowered. “He mails and John goes to see him occasionally, but it’s really not the same. But maybe he’ll come back now, since you’re here.” His frown lifted and he smiled back at Cody. “I live here all the time, with Chris. I’m his mate.” There was undeniable pride in his voice and Cody couldn’t help a smile. Evan, it seemed, was quite the talker and the friendliest person he’d met among the pack. Either he didn’t see Cody’s reticence at being there or more likely, was choosing to ignore it. 

The door beside Ted’s room was open, Cody’s bag on the bed. Of John and Randy there was no sign and Cody wondered rather sourly if they had deliberately put him in the room beside his former lover’s. Stupid thought, of course they had. The room itself was fine, a double bed and a chest of drawers, but clearly impersonal. If he ever stayed here, he was going to have to change that... and was he really considering hanging around with the pack? He must be crazy. Or tired. Looking around, he also noticed a bowl on the floor, like the kind one would lay out for the dog. He could feel dark laughter welling up inside him. 

Evan continued chatting, but Cody wasn’t really taking in what he had to say. The bed looked damn inviting, considering he’d spent a lot of nights chasing through the fields and with everything that had happened, he was tired and confused. Evan was telling him about the bathroom, how to get to his and Chris’ room, that he should just let them know if he needed anything and Cody wasn’t listening, he rather wished that Evan would just leave him alone. 

And as he thought it, it was as if his wish was granted. Evan paused mid-word, tilting his head to one side as if listening to something, then shooting Cody a sunny smile. “I’ll leave you to it then,” he said cheerily enough, but clearly there was something else on his mind. Cody noticed the odd behaviour but in honesty, he really didn’t care. He just wanted to be left alone. Evan took off quickly, closing the door behind him – and Cody kept enough presence of mind to listen to him leave before checking the door to see if he was locked in (he wasn’t). Collapsing wearily on the bed, Cody kicked off his shoes and sighed. This was all so much to take in... and damn, he could still smell Ted in the room next door. As he dropped off to sleep, he could sense the other as strongly as if he were actually in the house.

~~

The pack didn’t knock when they arrived at the manor and Ted was no exception, even if he hadn’t been there in a long time. He hadn’t known if he would ever be there again... only there he was. Opening the door, he inhaled and growled softly under his breath. Cody was there. He was somewhere in the house – and Ted was not ready to face him. Not yet. 

“Been expecting you,” Chris said, emerging from the living room and giving Ted a casual smile, as if Ted had been gone a few hours rather than months. “Don’t just stand there, come through.” Seeing Ted’s hesitation, he added dryly, “He’s upstairs. I imagine he won’t be coming down any time soon.” The tone was casual enough, but Ted could sense that the Alpha male of the pack was pissed off. Fur was going to fly, he just had to hope it wasn’t in the literal sense. 

Rather reluctantly, Ted went into the living room and took a seat, realising that he had instinctively chosen the one where Cody had been sitting – recently too. Maybe as little as a half-hour ago. There was no sign of the others, although he could smell it when Evan passed the door, hesitated and continued on to the kitchen. There was every chance that the others had been told to stay away, or were doing so anyway. If he was going to be getting a bollocking, then he really didn’t want witnesses. 

Chris regarded Ted through almost-expressionless blue eyes, the look that never failed to make Ted want to squirm and look away like a child caught misbehaving. Which was just ridiculous of course and just the reaction that Chris was hoping for. He sat in silence instead, forcing Chris to be the first one to speak. “When were you going to tell me you’d changed someone?”

“I wasn’t,” responded Ted. He saw the flash of irritation in Chris’ face and continued. “I didn’t want Cody involved in the pack. I thought he could lead a normal life instead of getting dragged into ours.”

“He turns to a wolf in the full moon, he’s not gonna be living a normal life anymore,” said Chris with deliberate harshness. “He could have used our help a year ago. Instead, he’s been stumbling along alone – don’t you remember what that felt like?”

Ted gave a one-shouldered shrug. It was true that none of the pack had changed him – he had been attacked by a rogue wolf who had apparently been on the run; he had shot it but not before it had bitten him badly, several times. And been scared to death when he turned to the tent he had been staying in to grab something to bind his wounds temporarily and looking back, found that the wolf he had shot was now a naked man, still as dead as he had been previously. He explained it away by saying the man had been accompanied by a dog, both had attacked him and he was only defending himself. The dog must have run off, he claimed. No one looked into the story too hard, and Ted certainly didn’t confess what happened to him during the next full moon to anyone. But the pack had found him almost immediately, Chris having alarm bells going off at the newspaper squib about the attack. 

“I don’t think it’s anything to do with dragging him into the pack,” said Chris. “I think you’re feeling guilty for changing him and you were trying to cover it up. No matter how unfair to Cody it was.” Ted scowled a moment and Chris allowed himself a smirk. “Yeah, that got a reaction outta you. But it’s true, you hate admitting losing control of yourself, don’t you? But it happens – what, you think none of the pack ever changed anyone without meaning to? Happens all the time, but you didn’t have to make it such a big damned deal! Hiding it, running off – shit Ted, you handled this one really, really badly.”

Ted stared at the floor, apparently stoic, but Chris could sense the underlying anger the other felt. “Fortunately, Cody doesn’t seem to have caused a stir or alerted anyone to his condition, he’s kept things under wraps and now we know about him, we can do something about it. And you are going to face him and explain a few things.”

Ted’s head shot up. “No. I can’t.”

“This isn’t up for negotiation. You will.”

With an unhappy frown, Ted merely nodded. When the pack leader told you to do something, you did it, regardless of whether or not you wanted to. And if he refused, well, Chris didn’t get to be pack leader by not being able to take down all of them if he needed to. 

“You’ll stay here. Tonight at least, until we’ve got the whole situation sorted out. The whole pack’s here to deal with this situation.” He raised his eyebrows. “Including Cody.”

“And Cody came of his own free will, right?” Ted knew he was skirting dangerously close to getting himself into trouble, but he wasn’t sure that he cared much. 

“More or less. I sent John and Randy to get him. He recognised them apparently, he even packed a few things.” Ted recognised that Cody probably hadn’t gone because he wanted to and he rubbed his head wearily.

“Go get some sleep Ted,” said Chris in a surprisingly gentle voice. “You look like you haven’t been getting too much lately. But this conversation isn’t over.”

Ted hadn’t thought for a moment that the conversation was finished there, but he had rather hoped. It was true though that he hadn’t slept at all since telling John about what he had done to Cody and he was struggling with a fugue of tiredness. Nodding, he headed out of the room without another word – he wasn’t sure what might come out of his mouth if he did – and went to the room that had always been his, as long as he had been a member of the pack. And paused just as he was pushing the door open. The room beside his had always been unoccupied, but someone was in there now. His preternaturally sharp hearing could pick up the deep breathing of someone sleeping. And he’d recognise that scent anywhere. 

Cody.

With a weary sigh, he went into the room and closed the door behind him.

Downstairs, Chris didn’t move from his chair, but Evan had clearly heard Ted leave, since the young man entered the room moments later with a bottle of beer in each hand, handing one to Chris before sitting on the arm of the chair, a hand going to the back of his lovers neck. “Rough, was it?” 

“It wasn’t like I was expecting anything else.” Chris smiled slightly. “You know Ted, he’s stubborn and he hates admitting he’s screwed up. Still...” He gave a small shrug. “Cody seems okay. He’s been handling things well up to now.”

“I like him,” said Evan enthusiastically.

Chris laughed. “Puppy, you like everyone.” He pulled Evan into his lap and nuzzled into his neck. “Let’s deal with it tomorrow. Right now, I’ve got my own needs to deal with.”

Immediately Evan felt a small prickle of heat down his spine.

“Needs?” the smaller man murmured with a slightly cheeky smile, causing Chris to return the smile as he stood up easily. Evan yipped softly in surprise as he was lifted so effortlessly, but he supposed he should no longer be surprised by such a thing: Chris had always carried him effortlessly. “Yes… Needs that only my Puppy can take care of.” Momentarily pushing this complicated situation with Ted and Cody out of his mind, Chris effortlessly carried his mate up to their bedroom. Evan technically did have a bedroom of his own, but he never slept in it unless he and Chris had one of their rare fights, or he was working on something and needed to be away from temptation to finish his deadline in time; being around a sexy beast like Chris was not conducive to getting work done.

Pushing the door open with the toe of his shoe, Chris then kicked it closed behind him once he and Evan were inside; his little minx of a mate now nibbling on his ear and whispering wicked suggestions to him. As wolves they were a naturally protective and possessive species, and they always needed the constant reassurances of their mate’s presence and contentment. If their loved one wasn’t happy then how could they be happy? Chris hadn’t been joking when he had said that wolves mated for life—and, despite what Cody might think, this ‘Drew’ character (whom he suspected that Ted knew about if the continual spiking of Ted’s moods was anything to go by when he had walked in) was not the one who he was supposed to be with. Ted was the one whom Cody was supposed to be with, period.

Evan’s tongue against his throat pulled him from his thoughts and Chris growled softly in pleasure. In the back of his mind his Alpha instincts alerted him to John and Randy returning, but something told him that they would just keep to themselves for a bit given everything that had been going on. They’d all have a meal together that evening, but he figured he would order out since it was somewhat of a special occasion what with Ted returning and Cody possibly joining.

Flipping them so that Evan now lay underneath him on their cream and chocolate coloured duvet, Chris looked into his mate’s eyes. It had taken him a long time to agree to change Evan, and every now and then he wondered whether he had done right by the other—but not once had Evan told him that he was unhappy with what they had together. “I love you, Puppy.” He murmured softly, fingers tracing the faint marking that now permanently remained underneath the shirt of Evan’s clothing. Evan mewed lowly at the sensation, eyes fluttering closed as he arched his neck out at the sensation. A tender lick to the same area made him tremble breathing the words, “I love you too, Chris.” And, he didn’t just have a love for Chris the way all in a pack did for their pack-brothers and their alpha, he loved his Chris the same way he had even before he had been changed. Chris was his entire world and he adored him.

It took Chris mere moments to have Evan undressed (for once not ripping his clothing into shreds the way that they all could be prone to when the heat of the moment took over them) and to have himself undressed too. Holding three fingers to his lover’s lips, Chris growled softly in satisfaction as his mate began to suck on the digits, lathering them in saliva slowly and playfully. No matter how many times he and his lover had been together he never tired of it, never had the urge to stray; Evan was it for him and he was glad the younger had been tenacious enough to force Chris past his hang-ups on their age difference and everything. If he hadn’t… Chris would still be a lone wolf.

As he eased the slickened digits from Evan’s mouth and then eased one into his lover Chris nipped his bottom lip tenderly. “My precious little one…” he took his lover’s lips in another kiss to muffle the responding moan that came from Evan’s throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is being re-posted straight from the raw document so excuse any missed mistakes/chapter name changes/other changes if you happened to have read the original-- admittedly I'm too lazy to go looking back through so many LJ posts haha. Also, unfortunately, neither Dani nor I own anything but our characterisations and the storyline.


	3. Chapter Two: Love Like We Had

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ted broods on the mistakes he made after biting Cody, and Cody learns a little more about his new house-mates.

John sighed softly as he lay out on the large bed that he and Randy used whenever they were back at the manor, idly watching the light play off of the dog-tags that he still wore. A low rumbling voice broke through his contemplation and caused him to lift his head to look across to his playfully pouting lover. “When you have that expression on your face it means you’re thinking or something other than me and you know that I get real jealous when your mind strays from me for mere moments.” Randy partially joked.

“I’m sorry baby,” John tucked the tags back into his shirt as Randy stalked over to the bed and removed his t-shirt before laying aside John and leaning in to kiss him. “What was with the serious face?” Randy enquired and John exhaled a breath as he caressed the back of Randy’s tattooed neck. “I was jus’ thinkin’ about the old days, y’know?” when he said ‘old days’ he meant the time when he had been in the army. Actually, it was in the army when he was turned into a wolf, by Randy, but for his own good.

John had actually been doing some recon for work when he had been wounded by someone who had managed to slip through his radar. He had thought he was a goner, but suddenly the one over him with a gun was taken down by a large wolf. When it had bitten him he had thought he was most assuredly done for… but when he next awoke he was confronted by the most handsome (and most deliciously naked) young man he had ever seen. Randy had waited there, patiently, for him for five hours; the duration of his change.

For those who could actually survive the change the time in which it took to change varied depending from person to person. Because John had been physically fit when he had changed it meant that he had managed to work through it sooner than some… but it had been a touchy moment that brought a lump to Randy’s throat thinking about it. At the time he had been in the city where John had been stationed to do some modelling, and he had seen John by pure chance. And, from the second his eyes danced over those broad shoulders and that smiling dimpled face Randy had been hooked, knowing then and there that he had to make John his whatever the cost. Chris had always told him that he was an impulsive so-and-so, but anything he’d ever done impulsively paled in comparison to what he’d been prepared to do for John.

However, it hadn’t quite gone down like that. The very day he had been intending to make his presence known to John (and his intentions) he had scented the man in the forest. He hadn’t been able to get to him fast enough to prevent him from being injured, but he had gotten the son-of-a-bitch who had hurt his John before tending to the man himself. John had been disoriented, obviously, but Randy had convinced him to return to Chris’ place with him. Being the charismatic –and well versed truth-bender that he was- Chris managed to get everything squared with John’s superiors and he was released as soon as he had been cleared by an army-medic and the body in the woods had substantiated the ‘story’ that they had given about what had happened. Since then John and Randy had been inseparable, and Randy had no intention of letting anyone or anything change that. And given the, ahem, complications that they suffered on occasion with rogues, that was easier said than done sometimes.

“Hey,” Randy turned John’s head to face him, giving his nose a small nuzzle, “—don’t look like that. What happened happened, Ok? But it doesn’t matter now. All that matters now is that we’re all together and that we’re gonna get this little incident sorted out.” Randy had always had a soft spot for Ted, having bonded quite closely with the younger man when he had been brought into their pack after John but before Evan, and so he was pretty keen to see this all work out in the younger man’s favour. Since Ted and the little spit-fire he’d changed both were stubborn and had tempers on them, something told him it’d be an interesting experience. Knowing what would cheer John up Randy then smirked wickedly, and knelt up, slowly beginning to undo his jeans. “Get the oil baby, Ortz knows how to make it all better.” Eyes sparking slightly, John obediently reached into their bedside table for the massage oil as Randy removed his shirt and jeans, completely naked since he was again going commando. 

~~~~

Ted lay awake, looking up at the ceiling of the room that hadn’t changed much since he’d first joined the pack himself. He had been merely a teenager when it had happened, seventeen… Camping. Such an innocent activity. However, on this one occasion it had been anything but. He had been out camping to celebrate his acceptance into the Marines. He had decided that that was what he wanted to do instead of going to college or anything like that. His parents hadn’t been happy at first, but then they had been pretty cool with it once he was accepted.

The memories tried to get back but Ted forced them away; that had been a dark time in his life that Chris and the others had helped him out of, but it hadn’t been until he had met Cody when he had finally felt as though everything would be alright for him again. Until he had fucked it up, that was. Sighing softly, Ted looked at the ring that he had between his fingers; it’d been a present from Cody for their two week anniversary, one that he had been so delighted and touched to receive. Cody had always been so thoughtful like that, so wanting to spoil him, to be with him…

Tears stung his eyes and Ted pressed his free hand over them. Running had seemed like such a good idea at the time, but it hadn’t helped. With every mile that he had gotten away from Cody the pain had gotten worse, both from his guilt and just from…. Just from missing Cody. He missed him so much it was as though someone had torn his heart out and then forced him to eat it. A strange analogy, yes, but it was one that he thought was apt. He had loved Cody he still did love Cody to the brink of where the intensity of his own feelings frightened him. These same feelings and instincts were the ones that compelled him to seek out the bastard whom had placed his hands upon Cody’s body in an intimate manner and tear him apart slowly. He’d thought it before, but now he had Cody merely next door, that man’s scent still lingering even now, the urge was even stronger.

He could still remember the way Cody’s smooth, tanned skin felt beneath his hands when he had first been permitted to touch the other. It had been about three weeks into their relationship, and it had been a pretty heavy make-out session but it hadn’t gone farther than that. The first time they had slept together… it had been about two weeks after that. It had been more Ted’s insistence than anything that they wait because he knew that a) Cody was a virgin, b) he too was a virgin and c) he didn’t want the other to think he just wanted him for sex. He cared about Cody so much more than that. So much more.

Balling his free hand into a fist Ted slammed it down on his mattress, causing an indent that wouldn’t spring up again up again due to the force of it. The ring he had been examining was slipped back onto his finger and he let his hands fall down to his side. Chris wasn’t going to let this go, that much he knew, and he also knew that the Alpha would probably make them all congregate together later… unless Evan distracted him. Despite himself the smallest of smiles touched Ted’s lips; Evan had Chris completely and utterly wrapped around his finger despite the man being their Alpha, and he had much more sway with the man then anyone else would really know because… because they loved each other.

They, and John and Randy, loved one another the way that he loved Cody. The way he loved Cody more and more with each day that had passed despite the guilt constantly reminding him that he just didn’t deserve it. He had destroyed Cody’s life through a moment of carelessness regardless of the circumstances. If, if they had ever reached that point (Ted bringing about the subject of the change/mating with Cody) then Ted had wanted it to be completely with Cody’s informed consent. It uh, just hadn’t gone according to plan, had it? Fucking cold was the death of him in one respect.

Pushing himself into a sitting position Ted then moved off of the bed and began walking towards the door, hand reaching for the doorknob as though to open it, but then he forced himself to still. What good would going to see Cody do? The other no doubt hated him for what had happened, and seeing him face to face would probably only make the situation worse. So much worse that Chris may need to redecorate from the damage.

Leaning his forehead against the door Ted closed his eyes and allowed his senses to hone in on the person next door; Cody was still sleeping if his breathing was anything to go by and Ted would bet everything he owned that Cody was doing that adorable thing he did where he slept somewhat on his side with an arm curled under his head, his lips parted and occasionally making soft mumbling noises if he was dreaming. If he was dreaming, what was he dreaming about? It was probably way too much of a hope that it’d be him, but he couldn’t stop himself hoping for it to be him at the same time. He was a pathetic creature and there was nothing he could do about it. He didn’t much care anymore though for since Cody had left he had determined that he would never become involved with anyone ever again—hence the reason why he had even been avoiding pack. He had known that they would all be disappointed, that they would immediately try to ‘rectify’ the situation, and that was what had spurred him to just clear out of there.

And now he was back and all his efforts had been for nought. In the back of his mind he had known that this would happen but he hadn’t wanted to accept it because it would have been an extra failure on top of what he had done to Cody… unable to cope with being inside the manor anymore Ted finally opened the door and started swiftly down the stairs to the main foyer. The shirt he was wearing felt cloying, the way clothing always did when they became over-wrought and he yanked the material away carelessly. He’d worry about the ripped shirt later on though.

As the shirtless (and damn, Ted looked even finer half-naked and in those dark jeans) Ted crossed the courtyard to head into the woods –all the pack knew that’s where Ted went when he had a lot on his mind- someone was watching him from the window. Cody had felt a strange ripple of something down his spine that had compelled him to wake up and move to the window. The sight he was confronted with made his heart stop.

Ted had always been devastatingly handsome, but after a hiatus away from him Cody wasn’t prepared for just how even the sight of the man from many feet away would knock him for six. Dropping to his knees just as Ted looked up at the window, swearing he felt someone watching him, Cody covered his face with his hands and swore. This wasn’t going to end well, not at all. He couldn’t do this. For all his vehemence and insistence when Chris had called him on it, Cody had never stopped loving Ted and that was the predominant centre-point of his problems. Even now there was something within him that was aching, needing to run to Ted and throw himself into his arms and beg him to never let go. But, he couldn’t give it to that urge. His whole body shook with the effort of holding back. 

~~

The next time he was disturbed it was by someone knocking on his door. “Yeah?” he called wearily, lifting his head from the pillow. Evan’s head poked around his door and he sent Cody a soft smile. Despite the situation and Evan’s slightly unnerving exuberance, Cody couldn’t help but like the young man. “Hi.” He nodded in response, sitting up.

“We were just wondering if you liked Chinese food?” If Cody had had his wolf ears then they would have perked; usually he was very strict on himself about what he ate, but Chinese food was one of his favourite indulgences. How had they known that, or had it just been a lucky guess? Ok, now he was most assuredly getting paranoid and there was nothing sinister in the question. “Uh yeah, yeah I do.” Cody said. Evan’s face lit into another one of those bright smiles, “Excellent! What do you like?”

Giving his favourite meal Evan then said it’d be there before too long and if he didn’t fancy coming downstairs yet he’d come and get him when the food was there. Just as Evan was leaving though Cody got off the bed and caught his arm lightly to still him. “Hey, Evan…” he said, the smaller man cocking his head at him. “How did you end up here?” Evan’s outward expression remained quite neutral, but a sudden deep and profound sadness appeared in his eyes.

“I’ll tell you that some other time Ok? You probably have a lot to sort out yourself and uh,” Evan rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and shrugged slightly, “You may not like me as much when you find out and uh,” he laughed slightly, a little embarrassedly, “Chris gets a little, upset, if I mention it.” He reached and touched Cody’s arm this time, startling him somewhat by the innocent declaration of, “I really hope we can be friends Cody. We’re not bad guys, despite how pushy we might seem. We really do just want to help.” Nodding mutely Cody then merely nodded again when Evan told him he’d come and fetch him and watched unmoving as the other man vanished back out of the door. What the hell was that about? Now he was really curious.

Sitting back on the bed he then looked to his mobile phone which was on the side. Weirdly, Drew hadn’t called him all day or sent him any messages, and it wasn’t as though he could claim that he had bad signal for not receiving anything. What was Drew playing at? Normally he wouldn’t leave Cody alone with messages or calls, and even though it was annoying it was still also nice at the same time in a way that he at least seemed concerned about him. It was also, well, a showing that he could keep up with his insistence that it wasn’t Ted or a life with the pack that he wanted. Huffing softly the ravenette threw his phone down onto the bed and then headed to the door. Opening it he stepped out—and banged into someone else. Had he been a ‘normal’ person he would have fallen on his ass, but as it was he just stumbled.

Righting himself he found himself looking up into the bright blues of John Cena. “Sorry about that,” John said, obviously referring to Cody bouncing off of him. Cody shrugged and adjusted his shirt slightly, “No problem.” He then looked to John again and asked casually, “You need something?” John’s hand reached to his neck, absently fiddling with a slim silver chain which immediately caught Cody’s interest; that couldn’t be real silver because he had noticed since his change touching real silver resulted in him getting a rash, and since it hadn’t been something he’d experienced since his change he assumed all the others felt it too.

“No doubt you’ve probably noticed it by now, but Ted’s here. I just wanted… I just wanted to see whether you were going to be alright to be around him. ‘Cause if you’re not we’d rather you stayed in your room because Chris won’t hesitate to order you both to be around one another if need be.” Without really thinking about it Cody growled at the veiled threat. John looked amused even as Cody exploded with the hissed snarl of, “What the fuck right does he have to order me around? How do you even put up with it?” Sighing slightly John then shook his head, “Cody… it’s just something that we have to put up with, because it’s how our kind has been wired since the beginning of time. Our Alpha is the one who keeps us organised, who takes charge of the necessities we need.”

Cody huffed, “So you’re just Ok with someone telling you what to do?” Cody demanded and John shrugged, “It’s not like he demands everything from us or pulls rank on us all the time… when he does it it’s for our own good, I promise.” The ravenette was momentarily distracted as John’s hand went to his neck again. “What have you got there?” John startled, looking momentarily confused—as though he hadn’t realised what he was doing. “Oh, uh…” he pulled the dog-tags from under his top.

“Hey…” Cody reached, gingerly touching them, John allowing it. “—were you in the army or something?” John’s eyes flickered momentarily before he then gave a small smile and nodded his head, “Once. I teach now.” Cody’s eyes widened in interest, finding himself following John down the stairs without even thinking about it, “A teacher, really?” John laughed slightly and nodded, “You sound surprised. Yes, I’m a primary school teacher—I teach English.” He explained and Cody nodded his head, “I must admit, that’s pretty cool. Is it awkward to explain your absence during the month?” Sometimes they were lucky, the changes falling on weekends or holidays, but sometimes…

“Sometimes it’s a bit iffy, but because I have a flawless teaching record.” The brunette winked and Cody rolled his eyes fondly, “And so they are pretty lenient. Especially considering that I only seem to be sick once a month on and off on occasion.” Nodding his head, Cody then halted when they entered the dining room. Already the food was served and set at the table, Chris at the head, Evan besides him, Randy already waiting and no doubt John’s was the seat besides him. And then, that meant—Cody’s eyes widened, feeling his breathing catch in his throat. There, sitting at the table (and looking as antsy as though he didn’t want to be there) was Ted. Momentarily the floor seemed to move underneath his feet, but Cody forced his feet forward, holding his head high. He could do this.


	4. Chapter Three: Not Quite Fortune-Cookie Positive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack do their best to make Cody feel welcome despite the tension, allaying a few anecdotes to break the ice. However, Chris lays down a little law and things get tense anew-- which isn't helped by the approaching moon.

Randy might have looked as if he were paying more attention to the food than anything else, but he looked up when John and Cody entered the room and was paying close attention to the interaction between Ted and their newest member... probable member. There was every chance Cody might refuse point-blank to become a member of the pack. Just as there was every chance Chris would damn well make him – the Alpha could be a stubborn bastard at times – and that would not go well for any of them. Cody would resent it, Ted would resent it and the whole thing could cause a huge rift within the pack. They’d just have to hope for diplomacy and that Ted’s presence in the pack made Cody more likely to want to stay rather than less. 

It wasn’t looking overly likely at that point though. Randy’s sharp eyes took in the minute hesitation on Cody’s part as he entered, the way his jaw set and the too-confident stance he took, all spoke of Cody being determined and unforgiving. Just as the way Ted’s eyes flickered up and then focused on his food told him that the other man did not expect any kind of forgiveness. This whole thing was just screwed up, but that didn’t mean that it had to end badly. He had changed his own mate without permission and although it had been necessary, he hadn’t known if the other would accept that. But John had understood and maybe by some miracle, so would Cody. Eventually. 

Neither man was speaking, save for a quick muttered thanks from Cody. Ted’s attention might be on the food, but his fork was just moving noodles from one side of the plate to the other and not actually putting any in his mouth – and the fork was a giveaway to his mood anyway, Ted had always shown off when they had Chinese in the past by using the chopsticks with a dexterity none of the others could manage. And the tension between them was something you didn’t need to be a werewolf to pick up on. Randy could feel himself wanting to respond to the atmosphere with low growls and a stance poised ready to fight – it was all he could do to force himself to at least look casual. 

The others in their pack were affected in a similar fashion, he noticed. Sitting beside him, John was unusually quiet and Randy could feel the others anxiety. Evan was making up for the quiet by talking too loud and too fast, but had he been in wolf form then Randy was sure his ears would have been flat against his head and he would have been making quiet whines in the back of his throat. Chris seemed normal enough, occasionally adding to Evan’s chatter, but his blue eyes were sharp and spent far more time on the two morose young men at the table than his lover at his side.

Evan finished his anecdote and raised a laugh that was more dutiful than amused, although the story had been pretty funny no one felt much like laughing. Evan seemed to realise this, opening his mouth to add something, catching Chris’ eye and closing it abruptly. Usually Chris wouldn’t dream of silencing his lover through looks or anything else, but these were not usual circumstances. 

“Ted,” said Chris smoothly, making the younger man flinch guiltily and the rest of the group look at him expectantly – except Cody, who had visibly tensed up. “You haven’t told us anything about your time away.”

Ted shrugged. “It was okay. Not exactly a stadium tour. Quiet.”

Chris raised an eyebrow. “Run into any trouble?”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle.” The whole pack knew what Chris’ veiled words actually meant. Werewolves tended to slink around avoiding being seen, but they had acute hearing and smell, which meant they sometimes found trouble that didn’t involve them. But there was no need to bite – most would-be criminals were unnerved enough to flee at being chased by a large wolf without having to actually attack. The closest thing Ted had seen to anything like that (he preferred to avoid humanity altogether when he was in his wolf form) was a couple of teenagers trying to steal a car and he hadn’t even had to show himself; a progressively loud growl from the shadows had spooked them enough to forget the idea and run for it. Of course, they could sometimes find enough trouble on their own, hunters liked a trophy, not to mention that it was harder to control themselves in wolf form and it wasn’t unheard of for people to take pot-shots at them while they were chasing some animal. But Ted had been careful and hadn’t been exactly playful either.

The somewhat monosyllabic answers were clearly not what Chris had been looking for, but it was probably hard to expand when the person he had been running from was sitting right beside him. Chris really doubted that Ted would have tons of road stories to tell anyway, since for the most part he seemed to have rambled around without settling. Running from what he had done rather than facing it - but Chris could sympathise a little. Some mistakes could haunt a person. 

Ted clearly wasn’t going to be making small talk, so Chris decided he wasn’t even going to try. “Okay, down to business,” he said rather abruptly, which made both Ted and Cody stiffen. “Cody, where have you been going when you change?”

Cody looked at him a little nervously, in case whatever he admitted to turned out to have been some mistake. “Well, the first time I stayed home. I’d locked myself in...” He didn’t mention that it had been in case Ted had arrived, he hadn’t known what he’d do if the other showed up – and it had turned out to be a moot point, since that day was the first Ted had been seen since the night he had changed Cody. “And I couldn’t get out again. Couldn’t work the lock.”

This brought forth a genuine, if rather subdued, laugh from the assembled group (except Ted, who was listening more intently than his stance might have suggested). “Some things are much easier with opposable thumbs,” agreed Evan with a smile. “Opening doors, working machinery, driving a car...”

“Or a motorcycle,” added John dryly.

“No one’s ever gonna let me forget that, are they?” asked Randy in a slightly rueful tone.

Cody gave Randy a hopeful look – he’d never ridden a motorcycle but had always wanted to give it a try. “You have a motorbike?”

“Not any more,” John told Cody with a slight smile that suggested he could see the funny side now, but certainly hadn’t at the time.

“It was the first night the moon was full that month and I had a shoot run way, way over the time it was supposed to.” Randy tilted his head as he remembered. “I turned up there on my bike and I really had to get away quickly, get back here and I thought I’d have the time. Wrong. I didn’t notice night came until I started changing and it’s not real easy to keep your balance when you’re naked and expecting it, as you know. Try it with a helmet on and doing ninety miles an hour. Took a hell of a spill and spent half the night in a ditch – the change in shape meant I could get most of the clothes off and the helmet without even trying, but my leather jacket was zipped right up and I couldn’t get my paw to manage the zipper. By the time John found me, I looked pathetic and hilarious.”

Cody’s mouth twisted as he tried not to laugh at the image of a wolf in a ditch in leathers, but his mirth escaped in a series of choked sniggers. Randy shook his head, but he looked amused. “It’s okay, laugh it up. These guys about piss themselves whenever it comes up in conversation.” And Cody did, chuckling away to himself until he sensed eyes on him – not the rest of the pack, but one set of eyes in particular. That killed off the laugh and he took a quick look sideways, meeting Ted’s blue eyes and noticing immediately that the other man had a slight smile on his face. Ted had always claimed that hearing Cody laugh was so infectious, he couldn’t help but join in and on other occasions, that he loved to hear it... but as soon as Cody looked directly at him, he looked away almost at once. Cody’s shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly, but the rest of the pack, pretending not to be paying attention, noticed. 

“I persuaded Randy that he was better off with a car, like everyone else,” John continued, as if the moment hadn’t happened. He still looked a little amused, but he certainly hadn’t been at the time, when Randy hadn’t arrived back at the manor and the pack had gone looking. Under other circumstances Randy might have been able to free himself from the confines of the jacket, probably resorting to chewing it off, but he hadn’t been in any kind of condition to do so. He actually had made it nearly all the way back before night fell, but it had been a stupid chance to take and John intended to make sure Randy never took a risk like that again. Protecting ones mate was one of their strongest instincts, as powerful as the irresistible need to change during the full moon.

“I suppose you left the door open after that,” said Chris, speaking to Cody and steering the conversation back to getting the information he needed. 

“Not exactly,” Cody admitted. “When I knew it was going to happen – you can sort of tell even if you don’t keep an eye on the moon, right?” The others nodded. It was a feeling difficult to put into words, a restlessness, a hunger, a need. “Well, I take the car, go to the town limits where there’s just fields and trees. Better that than – get caught.” The slight hesitation was a result of him adjusting his words; his original sentence would have been better that than Drew finding out. But he didn’t want to mention Drew while Ted was sitting beside him. There was a perverse part of him that would have liked to throw his new lover in the face of his ex, but a larger part of him didn’t want Ted to know he’d been replaced... not that he had of course. Because Drew was a poor replacement for Ted, no matter how hard the man tried Cody would simply never love him.

Chris nodded. “It’s a decent idea actually. Plenty of room, far out of sight for the most part. It’s much harder to wander the city without trouble.” Ted had been able to manage it because of the layout of where he lived, although it had been rare for him to do so, similarly they weren’t really given a problem at the manor – but Chris could just imagine the reaction of a large wolf walking down a busy street at night, under all that strip lighting with people everywhere. Much harder to be thought of as a large dog from the neighbourhood when it was bright as day. “Ever attacked a human, Cody?”

“No!” Cody looked shocked at the mere thought. “Why the hell would I even do something like that...?” He could feel his voice getting quieter as his brain caught up to his mouth; Ted had done something very similar, hadn’t he? And presumably so had others, since they were there at all. He didn’t know if one could be born a werewolf, but the odds were that not all of them had been – and he knew damn well from what Chris had said earlier that Ted too had been attacked, some time in his teens. By someone currently at the table? He had no idea. 

Chris didn’t seem bothered by the outburst. “That’s fine. But I needed to know.” He rested his fork against his plate for a moment. “If you’ve been going it lone for this long, there’s always the chance that you didn’t control your urges at some point, or that you got caught and spooked – or thought it was acceptable. I deal with any of our kind that comes into our territory. It’s rare, but it happens. Most have just been without a pack, then they get the same offer that you have. But there are a couple that are rogue – that is, they don’t take care. They don’t stay hidden, they attack livestock or humans and they draw attention to us. Which is bad news for us. Most that go rogue, they’ve not handled the change well. It can drive you right out of your mind, since it affects every aspect of your life. We’ve all found that it helps to be with others that go through the same thing and can help us out if things get awkward.”

“One pack, under the thumb,” murmured Cody. “Or paw.”

“Something like that.” Chris didn’t seem insulted by the slight, although he was putting most of it down to Cody being new to all this, had it been one of the others he might have taken it as a challenge to his status. “We do what we have to, to protect the pack.”

Picking up his fork again, Chris speared a piece of beef and continued in a mild voice. “What about Drew? Does he know?”

All eyes turned to Ted and none were surprised to see the snarl on his lips.

Cody hesitated. The sound he heard would have been inaudible to humans, probably couldn’t be heard by anyone else at the table – but he heard it. A growl, low and furious. Ted. He’d known Ted would hate any mention of Drew and he wasn’t entirely sure he was happy discussing the man in front of him. But Ted probably already knew. He didn’t think the reaction would have come if Drew had been news to his ex.

“I’ve never told him,” he said, then felt the need to reluctantly add the rest. “But he suspects something. He’s noticed that I go out all night, I’ve tried to hide it but...” He shook his head. “I don’t think he knows why, but he’s probably drawing a conclusion. The obvious one.” A slight smirk crossed his face, obvious but wrong. He’d never cheated on Drew – and yet, with Ted sat right there, he knew he could. In a heartbeat. In spite of everything, it was Ted’s reaction that he was thinking of, not Drew’s. And although he was involved in conversation, he was acutely aware of Ted’s presence, every move he made. He apparently hadn’t been looking or paying attention, yet he knew that Ted hadn’t taken a mouthful of food yet and that he was looking right at his plate save for the occasional glances at Cody... oh yeah, Cody was doing a good impression of not caring that Ted was there. 

Chris’ expression didn’t change, but Cody had the distinct impression that he was almost relieved at the news of Drew’s suspicions – and why not? He’d made no secret that he thought Ted and Cody were life-mates and having Drew out of the way would remove a major complication. And was one of the reasons that Cody wasn’t planning on leaving his new lover any time soon. He wasn’t having Chris dictate to him who he should spend his life with, regardless of his Alpha status. 

“We’ve got two more nights of the full moon left,” said Chris, not addressing Drew’s suspicions at all; apparently it was good enough for him that Drew wasn’t on to them. “Ted, you’re staying. Cody, you should too. I understand your uh, Drew is out of town and unless there’s someone who’s going to miss you for two days, things will be easier if you remain for that long.”

Cody didn’t much like the way Chris ordered Ted around, had he been in wolf form his hackles would have raised. A sideways glance at his ex told him that Ted didn’t like it much either, his whole body was tense, but he at least gave a slight incline of his head to acknowledge it. The secondary thought (and surely it should have been the first one?) was that he also didn’t much like how Chris was essentially ordering him around as well, less imperiously. It might have come out as a comment, but Cody knew damn well it was an order. He resented that, he resented that they’d found out Drew was away. Mostly he resented that Chris was right, it would be easier for him to find out more about the pack and his own condition if he were there in the house. Cody wouldn’t have admitted it to anyone, but he had been lonely when no one had known. Apparently, werewolves were also wired to be pack animals. 

Of course, there was always the question of what would happen if he declined to be with the pack. Maybe they’d leave him alone – but he suspected they’d check in on him quite a bit. And should anything happen, he’d still be answerable to Chris. 

“Two nights,” he said firmly, before he could change his mind. “I’m not taking any more time out of my life than I need to.”

Evan chimed in, noticing the way Ted’s expression had changed at those last words. “It’ll be fun to have you around,” he said, a slightly mischievous look on his face. “But I’m gonna give you the warnings that no one gave me—“

“It’s so much more fun when they don’t know—“ Randy started. 

“Yeah, for you guys.”

Cody looked worried. “Warnings?”

“Nothing sinister.” Evan grinned. “It’s just that, once the evening rolls around during full moon, everyone tends to walk around naked.” 

“Well, yeah.” Cody looked blank. “We’re wolves.” 

“Before that I mean. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when we’re gonna change so it’s easier. And then there’s the afterward, when we change back we still tend to be together. It’s not like a big nudist colony or anything, we tend to stay out of one another’s way, but you do catch each other sometimes. It takes some getting used to but try not to let it freak you out.”

“And try not to stare,” added Randy, leaning back on his seat with an extremely smug grin on his face that advertised he didn’t mind one bit if he was caught wandering naked and probably wasn’t really cautious about staying out of anyone’s way. John shoved him and Randy nearly fell off his seat, not that Cody noticed that. There was another of those almost-inaudible growls from Ted, the ones that seemed to occur when it was something to do with Cody. 

John’s attention went back to Evan. “All the weird shit that goes on in this house at full moon and you’re warning him about the occasional glimpse of uncovered wang?”

Evan looked a bit embarrassed. “Well, it was kinda shocking to me when I first got here. I nearly died when I walked out of my room and Ted was walking past in the buff. Then he got embarrassed because I was embarrassed and if one of you had mentioned it, there wouldn’t have been a problem – and I mean you too Chris.”

Chris gave a rather innocent grin, but Cody wasn’t really paying attention. Evan mentioning Naked Ted had brought some memories to mind – an older one from when they were together, the first time he had seen Ted shirtless and had his breath literally taken away by the sight; Ted had seemed impossibly toned and handsome. That was overlaid by his first glance at Ted in so long, running for the woods with his shirt absent. All the pack seemed athletic and toned, his own body had certainly benefited from the exercise he got in wolf form and he no longer had to wonder how Ted had kept up his physique. 

“There’s also the play,” continued Evan. “We tend to snap a little, you’ll probably know – it’s just instinct. Don’t take it as a threat or anything, you’d damn well know if it was. Sometimes one or two split off from the pack, but it’s nothing to worry about, even if you find yourself on your own. There’s probably more, but that’s all I can think of right now. Just – if something seems strange, it’s probably not. But you can ask one of us about it.”

“Okay,” said Cody agreeably enough, although he couldn’t imagine what it was going to be like to be in wolf form with anyone else – especially Ted. Evan could talk about play and sneaking off all he wanted, but Cody was certain there would be none of that for Ted, judging by the sombre fashion he was acting in. 

That seemed to be most of the discussion they were going to have on the subject, because John started telling Cody about the surrounding area, clearly for his benefit alone as everyone else would already know. Abruptly, Ted pushed his chair back and stood. “I’m done,” he said bluntly and for a moment Cody thought he was referring to the whole situation, before he saw Ted pick up the plate of uneaten food and surmised he was talking about that instead. He did notice something on Ted’s hand when he was drawn to the action and his eyes widened, the closest he’d actually been to looking for more than a second at the man all day. He was wearing the ring. The ring Cody had given him as a gift and hadn’t given a second thought to, assuming Ted would have taken it off long since. It seemed he was wrong, although he might just have put it on for Cody’s return, a thought that made Cody want to ask Ted to remove it so he could see if there was a tan line. Not that he did so, of course. 

And then Ted was gone, heading for the kitchen to dump the remnants in the bin – if they could be called remnants given that he hadn’t even touched it. Cody blinked, trying to refocus on what John was saying. He was describing the nearby fields and woods that belonged to the manor, although there were those who would go onto the property without express permission on occasion. “You’ll be able to smell where the boundary is,” added John. 

“We mark our territory,” Randy cut in.

“He pisses against every wall and tree he comes across,” John shot back, silencing Randy at least temporarily. “Did you buy Ted that ring you were just staring at?”

Damn, he should have realised that someone would notice that. “Actually, yes, I did.” He bit his lip to avoid broadcasting that he’d bought Drew nicer, which would be childish even if it was true – he had bought Drew nicer, but he wasn’t lying to himself about why. A good part of the reason had been guilt, because he certainly didn’t give himself to Drew the way he had given everything about himself to Ted. Occasionally, it was to try to convince himself that no, he was just reticent and he really did love Drew, certainly more than the man who turned him into a werewolf.

“When I went to visit him, while he travelled, he always had it on. We’d be sat there having a coffee and he’d be twisting it around or tapping it against the table.” And then right onto the locale again, as if the subject had never come up. Cody felt a slight thread of anger though. Was John trying to say that Ted still thought of him? Because it wasn’t any of his damned business and even if he was part of this pack, then that didn’t mean he was going to be dictated to about who he chose to be with.

While John discussed the scenery, Randy took his own plate and John’s to the kitchen, finding Ted about to leave and ditching his own things on the side so he could keep up with the other – Ted clearly had no intention of returning to the dining room, or of waiting for Randy. “It’s good to have you back man,” he said, falling into step with the other. “Place isn’t the same without you.”

“Yeah, well, wish I could say it was good to be back,” replied Ted, still moody. 

“Most uncomfortable meal ever, huh?”

“Yeah, including the ones where you’re chomping on something still moving.” Ted gave an unamused smile to Randy, someone he’d always looked up to. “I don’t know why Chris had to play it like that. Why has he always got to be such an—“

“Alpha dog?” Randy shrugged. “It’s his role. He needed to fill Cody in and given what’s gone on, we could wait forever waiting for you. He had to force the issue.”

“Huh.” Ted shoved his hands in his pockets moodily. “Forcing the issue’s one thing. I’ve just had to see Cody for the first time since I did – that – to him and make nice over dinner while he’s probably pissed as hell that I turned up back here at all, while you guys ask all these questions about his new mate—“

“Not his mate.” Randy’s voice was quiet, but cut Ted off completely. “You can tell, that’s not his mate.” He wanted to add that it was Ted who should be, but refrained. “You’ve had all afternoon to try talking to him.”

“He was sleeping.”

“That you know that says a lot more about the state of things between you two than you think.” Randy hated making these kind of conversations, John was so much better at it. He usually managed to say the wrong thing instead. “You have to talk to him sometime.”

“Even if he tells me he hates me and I’m never to talk to him again?”

“At least you’ll know. This – avoidance, it’s not good for either of you.”

“I suppose.” Ted paused at the foot of the stairs. “I’m gonna go to my room for a while.”

“Sure. See you when the moon comes up?”

“I dunno. It’s Cody’s first night with the pack and I don’t wanna freak him out.”

“You’re a part of the pack too. And you can help him. You know you can. Just – at least show your face. Your other face, that is.” Randy smiled to himself. “Think I might go to my room and get naked myself.”

Ted chuckled, in spite of himself. “Night’s not for half an hour.”

“Yeah, but you can do plenty naked in half an hour.” Randy grinned. “Seriously Ted, be there tonight. No hiding out in the bedroom, you know how it puts us all in a shitty mood when we can’t be in the open at night.”

“Maybe.” Ted made his way to his own room, glancing at the door of Cody’s as he went in. Cody wasn’t there, but he would be that night. Perhaps he really should at least show willing. And when they got a chance to talk alone – well, he was going to show his contrition. He genuinely hadn’t meant it.

Being left at the table alone with Evan, John and Chris was minutely awkward. Ok, scratch that, this was awkward as sin! Something told him he could trust these people, instinctively, but at the same time there was still part of him rebelling everything they were offering him even as it appealed to him. They might be offering him the group-closeness that the animal within him wanted, but they were all but forcing him to… to confront the fact that he was a werewolf. There was a part of him that was still refusing to acknowledge what had happened to him; the part that thought Drew was an escape, a chance for him to pretend that he wasn’t what he became once a month.

Sensing his mate’s discomfort (and also to apologise for the way that he had silenced the other earlier) Chris reached a hand and caressed the back of Evan’s neck in a gesture that reeked of possessiveness despite the fact that he knew none of his pack-mates would make a move on his Puppy. The thought wasn’t completely without merit though for there were some, ahem, progressive packs, who had no problem with sharing their mates amongst the other members of their pack, but Chris, knew that none of them would ever do that. They were much too caring, too possessive, too in love with their mates to do that.

Standing from the table (the affectionate display, though subtle, made Cody’s stomach drop slightly and his chest ache) Cody murmured, “Excuse me.” Before then grabbing his plate and making his way into the kitchen. Mercifully it was empty and he made short work of binning his essentially untouched food –and god, it killed him to see that wasted Chinese food- and then washing his plate before then setting it aside to dry with the other three plates. John had lingered behind, obviously wanting to talk to Chris, and Cody supposed that it was probably something to do with him and Ted, and maybe about the ring...

Sure, the ring was pretty important and meant something, but he really didn’t think any of them had any rights to be making any comments or jumping to conclusions about it. Sighing softly the ravenette then headed upstairs to rest until it came time for the change. As he paused outside his room his attention moved to the door besides his own—a flimsy (yes, you saw that right, flimsy) wooden door was all that separated him from the one person he had been hiding from for all this time… and the one who had been hiding from him in turn.

Of course he was angry, he had every right to be angry, but at the same time he was hurt; hurt that Ted had abandoned him not long after The Incident –even if he did understand Ted’s overly emotional nature and knew the other had to have been torturing himself over it- and that the other had not felt it fit to confide something like his condition to him. Sure, he knew that it would have been awkward, and that Cody would probably not have believed him, but… but at least he would have known, and then, then what? Would things have been different? Maybe they would have, but the chances were that they wouldn’t have been for the better knowing his luck.

Growling softly at his own behaviour Cody then opened the door to ‘his’ bedroom and then headed into it before flinging himself down on the bed. His cheeks reddened as he considered that he was probably going to see all of the (not unattractive in their own rights) men of the pack naked before the change that evening. And, whilst that thought was disconcerting it was nothing compared to the myriad of emotions that he was feeling regarding the thought of seeing Ted naked again. Seeing him half-naked earlier had made Cody want to throw all pretences of anger and refusal to be anywhere near Ted out of the window so that he could go down to the other and pull him into the woods to do things that would probably make even John and Randy blush. He had no idea how he was going to react before the other again, and he also had no idea about how he was going to react once he had changed, when the wolf instincts took over from the human.

When they were wolf their baser instincts took control and Cody was slightly unnerved about what they might make him act like… and also what the ‘lunar-heat’ might make him behave like in his human form. The ‘lunar-heat’ was the urge that took them over on the final night of the full moon which made them very… amorous. They were naturally a tactile species, and the ‘lunar-heat’ was always within them, but it was the final night when it was strongest.

And, knowing his lack of control where Ted was involved, Cody knew he’d probably have to lock himself into the bedroom he currently lay in to avoid grabbing Ted and kissing the very life out of him before moving onto much more adult, much more pleasurable activities… activities that he hadn’t enjoyed nearly as much as since breaking up with Ted. It had taken weeks, months, for him to finally indulge Drew—and he knew that more than once the other had been close to leaving him because of it. Cody hadn’t told Drew much about his past, other than he’d been in foster-care and that his parents had died in the car accident, and he knew Drew got frustrated with him wanting to not open with him too much.

Looking to his phone once more, and seeing no calls or texts, Cody sighed and then sent a message to one of his co-workers to let her know that he wouldn’t be about for the next two days because he was taking care of some private business, but he should be back in the office that following day. She responded not too long after (with a winking face… damn, she’d obviously gotten the wrong end of the stick when he’d said personal things, but boy didn’t he wish she was right…) which told him that his phone was working and that Drew had most assuredly not gotten in touch with him. Why didn’t that bother him more?

~~~

When the time came for the change Ted removed the t-shirt he had thrown on for dinner and the jeans and boxers he had been wearing, leaving him completely and utterly naked. Despite how he might seem overly confident sometimes he was slightly self-conscious about his body, and momentarily Ted paused before the floor-length mirror in his room and flexed his arms slightly. He wasn’t a bad looking guy (Cody had told him so) and he knew that he was in pretty good shape, but he found himself wondering whether he was buffer than this ‘Drew’ character who was supposedly the one who Cody wanted to be with now. And wasn’t that thought just a kick in the balls? Ted balled his hands into fists.

The urge to smash any potential rival for one’s mate’s affections was common; he knew for a fact that Randy and Chris (and, yes, even Evan and John) had gotten into fights before because someone was trying to muscle in on their territory. Despite being small Evan was not someone to mess with when he got pissed off, the same way all of them were, what with their enhanced strength and tempers etc. and Ted knew that Chris had been most turned-on by his mate’s display when Evan had attempted to take out the competition—before they had all stepped in and stopped him from making a spectacle or really hurting the guy in question. Feeling the claustrophobia kicking in not too long after, Ted knew that he had to leave the room; even heading downstairs into the open living-room was better than remaining in the room any longer.

Heading down the stairs, Ted felt only a minute discomfort; he had been doing this all the time once, when he had been essentially live-in in the pack before then moving out to his own place. There was no one around when he entered the living-room and he sighed softly before then dropping down onto the couch and sighing softly as he rested his arms over the back of the couch. His head was tipped back and his eyes were closed, and from an outsider’s perspective he would have looked the picture of relaxation… apart from the fact he was completely naked of course, which was not completely normal by human standards. Unless you were, y’know, into that sort of thing.

“Woo, looking fine Teddy-Bear.” Ted startled slightly, eyes flying open as he bolted upright, head whipping in the direction of the backdoor where the voice came from. “Dammit Randy!” Ted’s cheeks went red as he saw the older man standing in the doorway, equally buck-naked, smirking at him. “Fucking put your eyes back in hound—I don’t want John threatening to remove my wang just because you can’t keep your eyes in your head.” Randy shrugged gracefully and then headed into the room to sit besides him. “John wouldn’t do that to ya Ted—Cody’d kick the fuck out of both of us.” He dodged the punch that Ted directed at him, “Fuck off man, that’s not funny!” Ted growled, Randy’s playful manner dropping when he saw that his friend was reaching the limit of his tolerance. Although Ted was completely laid-back most of the time around the moon he got as testy as the rest of them did. And he had more reason than they did.

“Easy Ted, easy.” Randy said in that low rumbling voice of his, Ted dropping his head into his hands at the sound. “Too soon man, much too soon.” He said quietly, the muscles of his back tensing slightly and releasing with his irritation and their impending change. “It’s gonna be over soon Ted, relax.” Their conversation was cut short by the arrival of Evan, who was then followed by John and Chris. Which left Cody—and momentarily none of the group figured that he wasn’t going to show up. Ted felt himself deflate as he followed the others outside.

However, the collective disappointment (most strongly radiating from Ted despite how hard he was attempting to seem unaffected) was suddenly dissipated by the soft clearing of a shy throat. Four heard and turned as one, making Cody’s cheeks redden even more as he slowly stepped out into the open-space of the back courtyard. Chris seemed outwardly unaffected by the nubile, toned form on display and for that Evan was grateful—Cody was gorgeous—whereas John merely smiled in encouragement as Randy ran stormy eyes over Cody in obvious assessment.

Damn, he was a nice catch—he was impressed. John noticed his mate’s wandering eye and couldn’t help the small warning growl he let out; a sound Randy immediately responded to by pressing his face into the crook of his mate’s neck and nibbling the flesh there. John seemed soothed by the action though couldn’t help being slightly annoyed. Had Ted noticed the way Randy was checking Cody out (despite having no motive or inclination to actually do anything to him) then the younger would probably have gone for the elder out of pure instinct alone. However, he was much too focused upon Cody to notice; actively balling his hands into fists and fighting every instinct he had to move to Cody, pull him close and kiss the living daylights out of him before claiming him before the entire pack… something Cody would definitely not appreciate he was sure.

Sensing the turmoil working through his friend’s veins Evan reached and touched his exposed back in a gentle gesture of support; a gesture that was short-lived because both Cody and Chris tensed at the action despite its innocence. Finally forcing himself to look away from Cody (and the younger man felt the physical lightening of the other looking away) Ted then muttered, “Can we go now?” his skin was beginning to prickle—a definite warning. On that note Chris nodded, leading the way through to the usual clearing that they transformed in. As they walked along Cody found himself with Ted slightly behind him—and the other’s body-heat had goose-bumps prickling up over his skin as his stomach did flip-flops of delight at the other’s proximity. Oh damn… please, whatever deity was listening, let him get through the incident without having made a fool of himself,

Before they even reached the clearing Randy had changed. Almost as soon as the first went down the other’s followed in sequence: Chris, Evan, John and then Ted. Finally, that left him. Cody noted all of the still-human eyes focused upon him and felt incredibly self-conscious once more. However, the change soon took him over and he too joined the others on all fours. Chris growled softly, a sound of reflexive concern for their wellbeing and each responded in the affirmative; even Cody, who found that in this form he had even less inclination to disobey the other. Cobalt eyes watched as the smallest wolf (Evan) nuzzled the sandy-blonde and felt another pang of longing pulse through him, much more profound than the last time when he had been human. Hastily he shook himself, trying to force it away.

When they were in this form their thoughts and feelings were completely out in the open for the others to see and so he had to be careful. Very careful otherwise Ted would see exactly how he felt about him, how he had always felt about him despite everything that had occurred between them. A sudden playful yelp caught his attention and he watched as John began chasing Evan around, Randy watching on in what Cody could sense was amusement, Chris sending out vibes of amusement and also of warning that John was not to be too rough with the other; it was a strangely peaceful, playful atmosphere. It was completely different to when he had been going through the changes alone and he had felt as though there was something missing from the situation. Now he knew.

But, despite the outright light-hearted mood there was a dark mood overshadowing it—the mood that Ted was projecting from where he sat across the clearing on his own. It was almost as though he was waiting for something, but when Cody looked to the other he turned and then headed deeper and deeper into the forest. Without really thinking about it he found himself moving forward, the leaves crunching underfoot and his movements registering with the other wolves even though none of them made any movement towards him or attempted to follow him; Chris had given the other three a silent talking-to that all should be done to ensure the two young men ended up back together, although they should exercise some caution and control with their ‘help’ lest they wanted everything to backfire upon them spectacularly.

When Cody vanished through the trees after Ted, Randy turned his head towards the Alpha and cocked his head just slightly in silent question. Chris gave a soft snort in return and Randy mentally projected to the other that he thought he was becoming sentimental in his old age—a consideration that had Chris snapping at his tail without any true intention to hurt when he passed the other. Finishing their momentarily frolic the other two wolves fell into step besides their mates so that they could begin the true fun of the evening; they chased, they hunted, and when the moon went down they would go to sleep where they lay and wake up around mid-morning naked as the day they were born and feeling slightly better about what they had done the night before. Especially if they remembered feasting on a live rabbit or something… meat became a different issue when it wasn’t cooked.


	5. Chapter Four: Poke The Angry Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ted and Cody finally address their conflicted past together, John imparts some helpful advice and Randy decides that he's had enough of them tiptoeing around each other.

The following morning seemed to dawn much too soon, the evening having been somewhat of a blur if he was honest. He had followed Ted, and they had ended up running about together a bit in the forest, but things had still been undeniably awkward between the pair of them despite that slightly more relaxed activity together. The ravenette groaned softly and slowly opened his eyes—to be confronted with the sight of a smooth, naked chest. Freezing, Cody sucked in a breath on reflex; something that proved to be a tactical mistake because he was then assaulted with the pleasant earthy scents of the forest, and also with the scent that was undeniably Ted. As he started to pull away, panic flooding him, the arm resting around his waist tightened slightly and a quiet voice requested, “Please don’t move.” Cody stilled, swallowing hard. “Ted?” he whispered, as though he didn’t already know who it was.

“Yeah,” Ted responded softly, his own eyes open now and his body equally still as Cody’s from where they had snuggled up together at dawn when the change had ended and exhaustion had caused them both to drop there in the little thicket or trees. “What are you doing?” Cody asked quietly, hearing and feeling Ted sigh as the other’s arm shifted slightly around his waist but didn’t pull away; almost as though Ted couldn’t bring himself to do that. “I don’t know really. All I know is it’s probably real stupid and y’are gonna hate me for it later on.” That thick accent teased his ears the way it always had, like a knife sliding through hot butter, and Cody used all he had not to tremble obviously in a manner that had nothing to do with cold. “Just… indulge me a little longer?” the broken, whispered request from Ted made Cody’s chest ache.

Unable to respond verbally, because he didn’t trust himself, Cody nodded his head and remained within the strong circle of Ted’s arms. It felt so right, so good to be there, and that was bad; he was with Drew and what he was doing was tantamount to cheating, and he admittedly didn’t feel even minutely bad about it. And he should have. He was a terrible, terrible person—his thoughts were cut off suddenly as a large, slightly calloused hand began to gently rub up and down the length of his back. Despite himself his back arched to follow the motion, eyes fluttering closed as he revelled in the sensations that coursed over his exposed skin at the touch. “T-Ted, s- what--?”

“I’m sorry,” Ted’s voice was low with emotion whereas Cody’s had risen a fraction, and it was the slight wavering in that southern drawl that alerted Cody to the fact that the hand caressing his back so tenderly, so reverently, was shaking somewhat. “—but I can’t help myself. It’s been so long since I last got the chance to touch you, and I can’t hold back anymore.” The hand remained in the innocent enough location of his spine but Cody couldn’t help wishing that it would go just that little bit lower for him. Or, maybe the hand could travel a little lower but then come around the front and—no, bad Cody! Although he knew he should push Ted away and snap at the other not to touch him again because he had caused enough damage or something equally disparaging, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He had been holding out for as long as Ted and understood the need to break.

“We shouldn’t—“Cody whispered, his forehead resting against hollow of Ted’s neck and shoulder, eyes closing as he revelled in the soft warmth and scent. Ted’s hand tightened slightly against his flesh, as though fighting the urge just to drag Cody even closer, “I know.” Ted said, a slight growl appearing in his voice despite his best efforts to hold it in. “You have a boyfriend now.” Hearing Ted refer to Drew as such was unbearably uncomfortable and Cody winced involuntarily; though Ted was a gentleman and pretended not to have noticed the response to his previous words.

“Yeah…” Cody mumbled weakly, though Drew was the last thing on his mind right now. The things that were on his mind consisted of beating Ted for what he had done to him, and then kissing the other senseless before then dragging him back inside to that bedroom he was supposed to consider his own and keeping the other there for the rest of the damn month to reconcile with him. To do all those things would mean he had to give in though, and for all the part of him that wanted to, Cody couldn’t do it; Ted had broken his heart once and he wasn’t sure he was literally be able to survive it happening a second time. They both fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts and one another’s presences. It was almost like giving a recovering addict a potent hit of the thing they had been in recovery from; it completely knocked them both for six and just confirmed the private fears that each had about still wanting the other despite the history, complications and personal hang-ups.

“Ted, Cody, you guys over here?” The sudden sound of John’s voice broke through the moment and Cody pulled away from Ted as though burned, turning bright red and attempting to hide his nakedness. Now the lunar-heat had died down somewhat and he was no longer feeling the need for limitlessness before his change he was feeling awfully exposed and also somewhat awkward; as though his body would no longer be good enough for Ted now that another had touched it, even if he didn’t care what Ted thought about he and Drew. Because he didn’t. He didn’t. He didn’t. “I, uh—“he stumbled, feeling his stomach bottom out at the rejected look on Ted’s face before the other schooled his features into a painfully neutral look. “I get it.” Ted muttered, fluidly pulling himself to his feet and brushing leaves and dirt from his tanned skin.

“Ted—“Cody started, but then the arrival of John several trees ahead of them made him snap his mouth shut audibly. John’s brows rose slightly at the sight of Cody and Ted together, both blushing as one looked immovably stoic and the other painfully conflicted. Damn it, he was so tempted just to smash their heads together and yell at them to stop being so stubborn. However, Chris’ warning prevented him from doing so and so instead he merely smiled and called jovially, “Well, I don’t know about you two but I could –and have if I recall rightly- eat a cow!” he moved over to them both and slung first an arm around Ted’s shoulder, drawing the other close before then pulling him over to Cody and wrapping his other arm around the youngest man, “Rand and Puppy are making breakfast this morning so lets get there before Chris wolfs the lot.” John paused, “No pun intended.”

Although both of them tried to remain impassive to John’s attempts small smiles greeted his weak attempts at jokes and light-heartedness, the three of them walking together back through the trees and towards the house. As they got closer John suddenly released Ted and sent him a dimpled smile, “Why don’t you go on in, we’ll catch up; I just need to talk to Cody a little bit.” Ted’s eyes flashed slightly at the thought of leaving his naked pack brother alone with the naked man he was internally certain was his mate despite neither acknowledging it, but then he nodded and forced himself indoors. Puzzled, Cody turned his head to look at John, “What—“he fell silent at the suddenly intense look on John’s face, “Cody, have you not noticed the biggest urge you feel on the final night of your change?” he demanded. It took Cody al of five seconds to understand what John meant, but he turned red and merely resolutely looked at the floor, “Dunno what you mean, I don’t feel anything—“he lied.

John’s look said that he didn’t believe him and Cody knew it was true when John bluntly murmured, “Sex, Cody. We need sex more than anything on the final night of the moon.” The other nights were about sating the basic needs for family (the time with their pack) food (the hunt) and finally, on the final night more than any night (despite the fact they were creatures with a high sex-drive) they needed to mate with their mate. He didn’t mean when they had changed, because it didn’t happen then—it occurred, a lot, just before the change. Actually, it’d kick in around mid-day if the other months were anything to go by. "And if your mate's around then nothing -and I repeat- NOTHING will be able to stop you from satisfying yourself and them!"

Cody knew damn well exactly what John was implying, but damned if he was going to give the other man the satisfaction of acknowledging it. Everyone believed that he and Ted were supposed to be mates – and why, because Ted had bit him? Newsflash, someone else had bit Ted and it wasn’t as if they tried to force Ted into being that guys mate. A part of him knew that was unfair, he didn’t know the circumstances, but he hated being dictated to. He had his own mind, didn’t he? He might be a werewolf, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t human too, he could control his urges. No matter how strong they had always seemed to get before the last night of the full moon, he had always been able to handle them before.

“Thanks for the warning, I’ll make sure I wear my headphones and turn the music up full,” he said, deliberately missing the point. Frustration ghosted over John’s face but Cody didn’t care, going instead up the stairs to wash and put on some clothes – the others might be eating naked for all he knew, but no way was he going to be doing that. He and John hadn’t really hung behind by that much and Cody had been anxious to get away from that conversation; when he got up the stairs and rounded the corner, he saw that Ted had beaten him there but not by much. The older man was walking rather slowly to his own room, still naked (gloriously naked, Cody’s mind supplied), head lowered. 

When they had been dating, Ted had always been meticulous about cleanliness and personal hygene (“Just because I like the great outdoors doesn’t mean I have to wear it all the time,” he’d sometimes say when Cody teased him about it). There had been nothing before their change that had changed his opinion, Ted had seemed as clean as ever and Cody had been able to smell his shower gel while they were sat beside each other, although oddly not his favourite aftershave. The meal had been awkward but civilised; waking in the woods naked had been like the morning after some debauched night before and Ted had seemed far less groomed, right down to the blonde stubble that Cody had noticed the other seemed to be cultivating. The same colour as his pelt – and even with the pelt gone, the mud he had picked up on their midnight excursions remained. In the bright mid-morning light coming through the windows, Cody could see that streaks of dried mud were visible on Ted’s body, thickest on his hands and face where he’d been digging the night before. Without wolf form to hide it, this Ted seemed a far cry from the one Cody had dated. This Ted really did look like he might instinctively attack when threatened, almost primal.

This is how Ted looks when he’s not trying to hide who he really is from me.

Cody tried to dismiss the thought as nonsense but of course, Ted really had been trying to hide who he was from Cody all along, hadn’t told him the truth about what he could do. Maybe Cody had never really known him at all. Not that the realisation made his own instincts differ though; he wanted to follow Ted into the room Cody had not yet seen, push Ted back onto the bed (in Cody’s imagination the bed was larger than his own and the sheets were white and clean, immediately becoming dirty from where their joined bodies touched the fabric), take that strange, distant man that his Ted had become and turn him back to the one Cody had fallen in love with. Only this time, without secrets.

Ted had to know Cody was behind him but gave no sign, merely entered his own room and closed the door behind him. Cody fought a brief but powerful urge to chase him, slam open the door and throw himself into the others arms. Shit, was this happening already? Of course he had noticed what John had spoken of, that heat that overtook them on the final night of their change, but he didn’t ever remember it being this strong before. This was the time when Ted was most likely to creep into his thoughts, but with the man right there, he didn’t seem nearly as able to fight his urges – and it had been after the last night of a change that he had finally given in to Drew and allowed the man to take him to bed. He had rationalised that it was down to him being over the worst for a while month now and he really wanted this, now he was told it was instinct searching out a poor substitute? Just when he thought life couldn’t get any shittier. 

Cody let himself into his own room and after drinking about a litre of water, took a quick shower. It was nice to be able to have a genuine wash after his activities rather than what amounted to a guilty clean-up before he got caught, but that wasn’t at the forefront of his mind. Ted was. When they’d woken Ted had been closer to his real self than Cody had seen him since they’d got to the manor, Ted had apologised to him, but they’d barely had the chance to speak really and that morning was the best time. Before his urges got really out of control, so that he didn’t do something he was going to regret, which he might just do if he left it for later on. He might have claimed not to have noticed the need for sex, but he had and it got stronger as the day went on – sometimes he’d be pacing the house by four, frustrated and desperate. That was exactly the wrong time to approach Ted, this wasn’t good either but at least a little better. 

Dressing quickly in loose combats and a T-shirt – Cody shared the discomfort of wearing clothes in the midst of their cycle, but he wasn’t about to make the situation any more difficult than it was going to be anyway – he exited and determinedly went to Ted’s door, taking in a breath and listening. He could smell Ted’s presence strongly, hear the faint sounds of someone moving around in there (it sounded like someone shrugging on clothes) and knocked. There was a pause, longer than he would have thought necessary and then the door opened half-way and Ted looked out at him. 

Cody hadn’t planned what exactly he was going to say, he had just wanted to be able to have some kind of normal discussion with his ex and maybe make it so the atmosphere between them wasn’t so weird – he missed Ted enough when they had been parted, but he missed him more when they were together and he looked like Ted, but didn’t act like Ted at all. And now he had spent time with Ted in their lupine form and had that moment when they woke, he was sure he wasn’t lost forever in this – it was almost like grieving. But maybe he should have planned something to say, because the first words out of his mouth were, “Why did you never come back?”

Ted flinched, eyes dropping for a moment before rising to meet Cody’s. “Is this the place to be talking about this?” 

“It’s the time and if you don’t want the others hearing, invite me in.”

“You’re not a damn vampire Cody, you hardly need an invite.” He held open the door and Cody let himself in, looking curiously a moment around Ted’s room. It was clearly not used often but had taken on the stamp of his personality over time. A few pictures were tacked to the wall, there were maybe ten books on a shelf on one side of the room, a small dresser that probably contained clothes that could be left there for the rest of the month. A somewhat flimsy desk and chair were tucked away beside a window, a laptop resting there – an older model that didn’t seem to be much used, but might do to conduct business on for a couple of days. 

Cody indicated to the laptop. “When you were away, when you went on your trips hunting or visiting your brothers or all those other things you used to tell me and stupid me, I never saw the connection until after – that’s where you were sat chatting to me, right?” Because Ted had often gone to see friends or family, or on work courses out of town and it had been thinking back when things had all gone to hell that Cody realised they had all happened at around the same time, when the moon had been full. But on most of those occasions, they would at least be able to have a short conversation on-line, always in daylight. It hadn’t seemed suspicious at the time. 

Ted nodded. “Yeah. That’s where I was.” He looked like he might be about to expand on the statement, but just sighed and sat at the end of the bed. Cody took a seat at the other end, mindful of his current state. He didn’t need to be too close to Ted in case he was overcome, but hell, after the look on Ted’s face when he had imagined rejection earlier, he didn’t want to give the man any excuse to feel worse. That Ted was tearing himself apart over it wasn’t his fault, but he did have the chance to reduce that a little. 

“There were lots of reasons for me leaving,” said Ted abruptly, going back to the earlier question. “It was – not something I’d planned. I certainly didn’t have permission and I’m still in a shitload of trouble over all of this, if you hadn’t noticed.”

“Permission.” Cody’s voice was flat, disguising anger. “You have to have permission?”

“No, not quite. It’s not quite the right word, but it would be thought of as polite to discuss it. It’s not always possible, but it’s –“ He made a gesture with his hand. “Y’know, we’re a pack. You’re not the only person affected when you change someone. When I was talking about you once, John wanted to know if I was gonna change you and I told him I wasn’t. Not ever.”

Cody’s mouth dropped open. He could accept that the change had been an instinctive mistake, but he had never realised that Ted had plans never to change him. He had assumed it was something that was on the cards for later in their relationship, after Ted had come clean to him. Not something that would never happen.

“You didn’t want me involved,” he said, his hunger for the man all but forgotten in the face of this revelation. “What, you didn’t trust me? You thought I’d just – leave? Thanks Ted.”

“That’s not it!” Ted shook his head, a frown crossing his face. “It was about you. Are you really telling me you enjoy this? The secrecy, the fluctuating moods, having to hide? The pack, the rank, being forced to come here on the word of the Alpha? Because I know damn well that you wouldn’t have come if Chris hadn’t ordered it and there’s no choice when he says the word...”

“It wouldn’t have mattered!” Cody’s voice rose without him intending it to. “If you’d stayed then there wouldn’t have been any secrets, because we would have both known and that would’ve been enough, we could have worked it out between us. We could have explained it all to the pack and Chris wouldn’t be nearly so pissed about the situation as he is now. And mood swings...” He smacked himself lightly in the centre of his forehead with the heel of his hand. “Duh, they’re not a werewolf thing, they’re a human thing and I think I can manage to cope with those!”

“You still don’t get it!” Ted’s voice had risen too and Cody welcomed it, anything was better than the artificial mood Ted had shown the night before. The mornings tenderness might have been preferable (or not, he wasn’t in any kind of position to reciprocate) but at least frustration and anger were real. “I didn’t want to subject you to any of this! This life is not normal and I thought you deserved better and then I went and changed you by mistake?”

“Then why did you leave me after you’d done it?”

“Because I didn’t want to look into your eyes and see you hated me!”

Cody’s breath caught and he was suddenly speechless. Ted had really left rather than take a chance on that? And he hadn’t told the pack because – of course, all the talk about pack politics and answering to others was incidental. He knew the pack would drag them both back to deal with the situation and he never wanted to know for sure that Cody hated him, the way Ted thought he must. 

And because he was ashamed of his loss of control. Cody had realised that shortly after arriving at the manor, but Ted hadn’t mentioned it. He was ashamed of his loss of control and with Cody’s hatred, a permanent reminder of what he’d done whenever he was called to the pack, it was just another reason to hide what he’d done. 

Ted’s voice was far more normal when he next spoke, face fighting for that mask-like stoicism that he’d worn so completely the evening before. “You’re missing breakfast. They really will eat everything before you get there and you know how cereal won’t do at this time.”

The dismissal was clear but Cody wasn’t sure it was a good idea. “Ted...” 

“Go. I’ll be down soon. I’ve gotta scrub my nails.” 

It was the worst excuse ever, even if it was quite possibly true considering they’d been chasing through the trees mere hours earlier, but Cody didn’t know how to push it when his head was so completely mixed up with what Ted had been saying to him. He rose from the bed, bare feet padding over the carpet (clothes made him feel better when he was human but shoes were beyond an aggravation for the whole cycle) to the door. “I never hated you Teddy,” he said quietly as he rested his hand on the handle, not turning but knowing that Ted could hear every word. “I missed you. I was angry, but I never hated you and I missed you.” He didn’t expect to get an answer and let himself out. 

He could have taken it further of course. He could have insisted on staying and talking out the rest, but he could feel the way his body and spirit yearned for Ted and well, he couldn’t risk it. Because he still had Drew to consider. Drew, who was usually checking on him to the point of annoyance when they were apart but hadn’t been in touch since he had left. It had been a hell of a night and an emotional morning and his stomach was definitely in need of some kind of sustenance. Breakfast was a must, but... 

He pulled out his phone as he went for the stairs and checked it. No missed calls, no texts. No Drew. For the first time he felt actual worry stirring in him. The pack found out about him, decided he should be with Ted and at the same time, Drew went incommunicado? That was – strange. A big coincidence.

Brow furrowing slightly in unease more than anything Cody then pocketed the phone before starting down the stairs. As he entered the dining room he noticed that everyone else seemed absorbed in food and conversation, but the studious way that they avoided looking him in the eyes alerted him to the fact that they had indeed overheard at least part of his exchange with Ted. They might have been inside a relatively thick-walled room (if the structure of the old building was anything to go by) but they had some wicked-acute hearing that took a lot to muffle. He supposed that he should at least be grateful that they were attempting some semblance of privacy for he and Ted.

Ignoring the way their eyes flickered to him and then away, Cody moved to sit down in the space that he supposed was unofficially his and reached for a muffin and some bacon and eggs from the plates that had been set out across the table. They were all pretty big men (bar Evan he supposed) but there was enough food laid out to feed a Third World country—and yet when they were all done he was sure that there wouldn’t even be a scrap of egg-white left. Drew was always giving awed (and occasionally snippy) comments about how much he ate but how he managed to keep in such good shape at the same time.

Evan stood up and offered to get him a coffee, waving Cody off when he started to get up with the insistence that he could get it himself. The smaller man all but bounced into the kitchen and Cody stared after him slightly. “He likes to spoil guests,” Randy supplied, munching on a thick slice of bread covered in butter, “-and having someone new is a novelty for him so get used to being fussed over. Evan’s such a mother sometimes.” This comment may have seemed disparaging to an outsider, but Cody could read the affection in the small quirk of Randy’s lips as his eyes drifted towards the swinging kitchen door. Evan came back out with a mug, Cody’s eyes widening slightly as he tasted it; cream and three sugars exactly how he liked it. How the hell had Evan known that that was how he liked his drink given that he hadn’t had one there in the house yet? His surprised look amused Evan apparently, because the small man’s small, pointy white teeth became displayed even more prominently, “You just seemed like the type of guy to like it that way.” Was the only answer that he received to his unasked question.

It would have taken some time to get used to it had he been staying.

And, yes, you read that right: he wasn’t planning on staying with the pack once the cycle was over. He was intending to go home and try to get on with what he had left of his life. He supposed he’d keep in touch with the pack on occasion if necessary, if only to keep them all appeased that he wasn’t about to go renegade and kill any harmless humans that walked past him in the street. He had no reason to be staying though. Sure, he supposed under other circumstances he could have quite liked the men around him, but the circumstances weren’t different… and he no longer had Ted as one of his reasons, did he?

Immediately Cody slammed the breaks on any thoughts about Ted because he would embarrass himself in this vulnerable state and also because the man in question had just walked in. Once more Evan was on his feet, but unlike Cody had went to resist Ted had long since learned better and merely thanked Evan before the other had even vanished out of sight. Sitting besides Cody, Ted didn’t look at him even slightly. It wasn’t through not wanting to though, far from it—it was because he wanted to look too much. He wanted to do more than look and the heat wasn’t even supposed to reach its peak until lunchtime/late afternoon. He already wanted to grab Cody, bend him over the table then and there and take him until Cody begged him to stop and promised him that he would never leave him again. Though, technically he supposed the leaving thing was all down to him really.

The stubble still graced his jaw because he hadn’t seen the point of shaving it given that he would just have a fresh one the following morning; facial and body-hair seemed to reappear double-time after a change, but once the phases had passed it was back to normal once more. Ted had always been a smooth-shaven, clean-cut boy-next-door type, and Cody had been the first person to show him how it felt to live for someone other than yourself, how it felt to take a walk on the wild-side now and again. They had never done anything too drastic but just enough to keep him from being a complete fuddy-duddy. Cody had given his life (as tarnished and unwholesome as it was) a kick-start, a second-wind, the second he had walked into Ted in the office of the building where they both had been contracted by the same company for their respective jobs.

A simple little incident that was really not too noteworthy had been the one event that had changed his life for the better. He hadn’t felt that anything could have ruined what he and Cody had because you just didn’t find that connection out of thin air with just anyone. However, all it had taken was one slip, one lapse, and he had destroyed everything he had come to hold dear. And the shame of it had been what had driven him away from his pack in the first place because he honestly hadn’t thought they’d have had any use to be involved.

Evan set the mug before him (strong black coffee, the bitterness matching his mood but actually suiting his tastes at the moment) and Ted nodded his head in thanks as he methodically fixed himself breakfast and forced himself to eat. He had noticed that if he snacked during the day, or had decent meals, then he was slightly less desperate to satisfy… other urges. And hadn’t they been a bitch when he had been around Cody? He had continually struggled to keep his hands to himself around the man but when the moon was adding to his struggle he had been fighting an even harder battle.

Randy watched the way Ted consciously went out of his way to avoid touching Cody even accidentally, deducing the reasons correctly, and watched also in turn as Cody’s eyes flashed with an intoxicating amount of hurt and anger. The hurt was obviously from being ignored despite how the young man had obviously tried to brainwash himself into thinking that he didn’t care about Ted and Ted didn’t care about him anymore, and the anger was down to one thing really: Cody was horny. Hell, he could smell the subtle changing of the scents they all carried and knew that all of them were horny; it was just that the rest of them had some way to vent it out. And those two would too if they could just let go enough to take what they both needed, wanted.

Feeling a large hand settling atop his denim covered thigh Randy rested his own against it, fingers loosely curling through John’s as his thumb caressed the other man’s knuckles. Turning his head enough to meet his lover’s eyes he fought the urge to give a growling moan of delight as he noticed the subtle darkening of John’s baby-blues. It was a sign of the heat beginning to build, a sign that he too knew he displayed. According to John his eyes turned almost black when he was aroused—and he joked that they should just stay that colour then when he was around John since he was always aroused by him.

Soon he had no doubt that he’d need to make an excuse to get John alone and figured that it wouldn’t be long for Evan and Chris to follow suit. Ted and Cody might have convinced themselves that they wanted nothing to do with one another like that but the wolves within them knew what the humans were denying—those two were supposed to be together and urges, instincts, would out before too long and they wouldn’t be able to fight them no matter how hard they tried to make it otherwise. Chris suddenly spoke, breaking Randy from his thoughts and making Cody startle slightly; apparently he hadn’t been the only one who was thinking hard. “So, Cody,” his tone was genial but Randy knew that their Alpha was completely and utterly focused on receiving the response to his question, “Have you given any thought to what I asked you?” For a moment Cody was completely and utterly confused as to what Chris was on about, but then he understood and it took all he had not to throw his breakfast at Chris just as some sort of act of defiance. It was a reflex to the fact that he’d been essentially robbed of his freedom recently.

“Yes, I have,” Cody responded as coolly as possible. It might have been his imagination but he could have sworn that Ted tensed slightly besides him (hard to tell given that the man was already tense) in anticipation. Cody then responded with the carefully chosen words of, “I will tell you tomorrow.” He was aware that he was stalling, but the truth be told he just didn’t want to chance seeing a disappointed look on Ted’s face when Cody announced he was leaving. Evan spluttered slightly at the sudden change in tack and John’s eyebrows raised; Randy looked almost amused for the moment and Chris’ expression remained neutral. Ted hadn’t moved a muscle of loosened his posture at the words, but Cody swore the other had murmured something to himself. He missed what it was though.

Suddenly, almost obnoxiously in its loudness, Cody’s phone began to ring. Feeling colour blooming over his cheeks Cody cleared his throat softly and then murmured, “Excuse me.” Before then standing form the table and then heading outside as he pulled his phone from his pocket. When he saw the name on the Caller-ID his brows rose. Well, look what the cat dragged in! “Drew?” he answered, hearing the Scottish brogue immediately giving a slightly cocky joke about ‘Who else were you expecting it to be?’

As Drew began to chatter in his ear (not once apologising for not calling sooner or seeming to notice any agitation on Cody’s part) Cody was unaware of the fact that within the dining room –which had windows overlooking the back-garden courtyard where he was standing- everyone had heard his voice clear as day when he had announced the person’s name who had called. The knife and fork within Ted’s hands were bent almost into little metal pretzels at the sound of the human’s name, his jaw setting hard against the urge to growl. What he wanted to do was go out there and take the phone away, tell the guy to go fuck himself and then bring Cody inside so that he could worship him the way he wanted to. However, he neither had the right nor Cody’s desire to do such a thing to him he was sure. Still—it was a pleasant daydream that killed a few minutes.

“He’s trying to take what belongs to you, Ted.” Randy knew that he was playing a dangerous game to try and goad Ted at a time like this, but knew that neither he nor Cody would make a move unless they were given a little nudge in the right direction. “Leave it, Randy.” Ted growled, the other three men at the table tensing in response to the very firm message in the growl, ready to intercede if necessary. However, Randy wasn’t intending it to get like that. He could sense Chris telling him to stop and felt John’s hand tighten around his own slightly but didn’t heed either warning. “That weedy, weak human has nothing on you… and yet he has what you crave the most—“

The sound of Ted’s chair scraping across the floor had Randy standing too, meeting the angry, passionate eyes Ted possessed and not flinching away from the fire within them despite how intense it was. “Shut. Up.” He growled once more, all semblances of Ted’s soft, amicable countenance gone and replaced by the face of a man who was so undeniably male and dangerous… so undeniably animal. Randy knew that Ted was reaching his limit, but also knew that Cody was the same. Whereas he wasn’t as openly agitated as Ted, Randy knew that what Cody also wanted was simmering below the surface. He just needed an… increase in temperature to bring about any results. Results he was sure they would both be thanking him for later on if all went well.

Cody was waiting for Ted to make the first move to take what was his, Randy knew it. It Ted made his intentions known to Cody then the younger man wouldn’t have been able to resist. He wouldn’t want to resist. “He’s waiting, Ted.” Randy coaxed in that same sugary tone of temptation that would have charmed the very angels from heaven—never let it be said that vampires were the only alluring mythical creatures. “He’s waiting for you to take what belongs to you. Cody’s yours and you know it. He knows it. Do it. Take. What. Is. Rightfully. Yours.” Each word was ground out with a suggestive growling undertone, Ted finally slamming his hands onto the table and leaving the kitchen. John momentarily (reluctantly) broke his mate’s sexy display by smacking him upside the head when he noticed the look in Chris’ eyes—it seemed Randy was going to be on breakfast duty tomorrow as well due to that little display. John couldn’t say that he envied him: the breakfast after the change ended was the worst.


	6. Chapter Five: Satiate The Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are hotting up in the Pack's manor and the wolves take full advantage.

Ted threw the kitchen door open hard enough to crash it into the wall and dent the plaster, knowing that the show of anger wasn’t doing him any favours and doing it anyway. It gave him some tiny measure of satisfaction that simply wasn’t enough to quell the rage he was feeling right then – and rage wasn’t even really what it was, just a convenient emotion to hang his turmoil on. Drew’s interference had been bad enough, worse than that. But Randy’s words had been intended to bypass his common sense and go straight to the heart of his desires, which was the last thing he needed. Not on this day out of all of them. 

He paused a moment, fists clenched, breathing heavily. His instincts were telling him to go outside, crush the damn phone that Cody was currently cooing sweet nothings to his new lover on, tear his clothes off and take him right there, in plain sight of anyone who cared to look out of the window. The urge was so strong that his body started to move in that direction before his mind took over. Cody had been his, but not anymore. He didn’t want to blow Cody’s life apart, and getting anywhere near that phone and letting Drew know about him would do just that. He had to preserve what Cody had made for himself. 

Instead of going outside, he tore up the stairs to his own room, throwing himself on the bed and getting off it less than a minute later, starting to pace the room. The pacing did little to ease his agitation. He was starting to feel, no pun intended, like a caged animal. That heat had always been strong at this phase of the moon, but he had never felt it this strongly, ever. What was it he had first been told when he had joined with the pack? That the urge was always going to be strong, all but overpowering, but it could be controlled. Unless one’s mate was in the picture and then all bets were off. In those circumstances, propriety was out of the window and there was only need left. Ted had thought it as something of an exaggeration but just look at him, so completely under the influence of his desires that he could think of nothing else. 

If he could last until the change, then the whole thing would be over with... but that wasn’t looking likely. Every sense he possessed seemed to have been heightened in anticipation of that change and that meant more discomfort. His shirt came off mid-way through his pacing, the feel of the clothes against his skin too much for him to cope with. In the distance he could hear someone coming up the stairs – Cody, he knew from the tread and he could smell the other as he entered the room next door. Well, that was the last thing he needed. He stopped his pacing long enough to rest his hands on the wall that separated them, wondering if Cody was still talking to Drew... and that was enough to have him pushing away from the wall and start pacing again. 

All his senses were listening out for what Cody might be doing, hearing every creak, every movement – damn, why the hell was the man in the room anyway, didn’t he realise it was practically an open invitation? Why didn’t he go downstairs, go out – only there was a clear answer to that, because he was feeling the same kind of heat that Ted was right then. Probably not to the same extent – Cody’s mate wasn’t here was he? But Ted’s mate was. Because Cody was Ted’s mate, the only person he’d ever been with and he knew there would be no one else for him again, ever. 

A sound from outside caught his attention and he went to the window, looking out and seeing John and Randy heading out toward the woods. Ted growled slightly, he could have escaped to the woods but with John and Randy in there doing dirty (probably literally, given he didn’t see a blanket or anything) things to each other, that would only make his agitation worse. Were they planning to be loud or just doing it deliberately? As if to answer his question, Randy’s head tilted up and Ted could tell he was looking up at the window. A moment later John was in his arms and they were kissing – even through the glass and from the distance, Ted could see the passion in the action. Of course they were affected by the moon too, but they could do something about it... why the hell they were doing it in the woods was anyone’s guess. Although there had definitely been something about lying in the woods with Cody’s naked form beside him that had been incredibly good...

Growling again, he drew away from the window and resumed his pacing, hands going through his hair. Somewhere else in the house he heard a faint sound, some distance away – maybe a cry. But if it had been then it would have had to come from Chris’ room and that was far enough away so that usually he wouldn’t hear a thing. Everyone was against him, that was a stone-cold fact.

But the rest of his pack were wiped from his mind quickly, because the one thing on his mind was Cody. The past, when Cody had lain naked with him. The man himself in the very next room, Ted’s sharp ears telling him that Cody was restless himself. What could be, if he were to just give in...

Take. What. Is. Rightfully. Yours.

Not realising that he was still letting out a quiet growl deep in his throat, he abruptly slammed a fist against the wall between his room and Cody’s and left the room. 

~:~

Cody had returned to the kitchen after finishing a call to Drew, which had been oddly stilted on his behalf at least. Drew had never seemed more distant to him. Much as he had liked the other man, he just simply didn’t make him feel as – alive as Ted did. He was planning his words, picking out a lie to tell Drew that he might believe and at the same time, his mind wasn’t on his boyfriend. It was on the man in the kitchen that Cody would have gone back to in a heartbeat, especially then, no matter how hurt and angry he was. But Ted didn’t seem able to get over his self-recrimination – and when Cody got back to the kitchen, Ted had gone. The atmosphere felt almost subdued and Evan was on his feet, removing Ted’s breakfast things. Cody’s eyes widened slightly; the cutlery was bent practically in half. Ted must have been madder than hell. 

He made his excuses to escape as soon as he could, going back to his room and immediately hearing the sounds of Ted next door, pacing, speeding or stopping altogether briefly before going right back to it. Those movements would have told Cody everything about Ted’s mood if he hadn’t already known how it was. If he wasn’t feeling it himself. 

He dropped onto his bed, listening to Ted pace and imagining the scene; Ted would be in his room, shirt off (Cody had rid himself of his as soon as he was alone). Maybe even with the rest of his clothes off. Those incredible muscles would be working as he moved, the light playing off his naked body, an intense look on his face and blue eyes darkened. His imagination went a step further as he thought himself into the picture, seeing Ted turn his head to look at him, cross the room in a couple of strides and pin him against the wall. Completely lost in his fantasy, Cody could feel the way Ted’s unusually smooth chest pressed into his own in the moment before Ted’s lips fastened to his, claiming Cody as his own...

The stifled moan that Cody let out did nothing at all to make him feel any calmer but it did bring him out of his own mind with a jolt. He felt disoriented to be in his own room and not Ted’s, alone rather than with Ted’s hands exploring his body. Cody let his own hands go to his chest, running them down his abdomen and letting out a little gasp. No, there was nothing he could do to himself that was going to be enough to rid himself of this feeling, but he should at least be able to take the worst of the edge off. The thought of just going next door crossed his mind but his pride rebelled. Ted had to come to him, he was ready to get over the past but Ted had to show him that he wanted to. Cody refused to be the one to do that. 

He tried to summon Drew’s face to his mind, but all the things that made up Drew’s appearance were slow in coming to him, he could place them all individually but the picture that came to him was devoid of any kind of animation. Sighing, he let his mind go where it would and of course, the first thing he thought of was Ted. Ted straddling Cody’s waist, their twined hands meaning that Cody was all but pinned to the bed, Ted leaning forward to nip at his neck. Breath catching and already wishing that he’d just stripped when he got to the room, Cody tipped his head back in response to lips that weren’t actually there. 

This time, it was a crash that rudely awoke him from his daydreams, making him sit up hurriedly (and slightly guiltily, who wanted to get caught in such an obvious state of arousal?). He surmised that it had come from the wall between his room and Ted’s and leapt to his feet, crossing the room to rest his hands against the wall between their rooms. There were a couple of faint cracks that he was almost sure hadn’t been there earlier and he stared at the wall as if that would help him see through it, hearing that the direction of Ted’s pacing had changed, that there seemed to be a purpose behind it all of a sudden. 

And then the door to Cody’s room opened and Ted stood on the threshold, staring at Cody as if he hadn’t seen him in months. Which given their current state of lowered defences, Cody supposed was almost true. Cody moved away from the wall to properly face him, noting that as opposed to his daydreams, Ted was still wearing some jeans if not the shirt, his hair was dishevelled as if his hands had repeatedly run through it. But those eyes were just as darkened with lust as Cody had imagined. And this time it was no fantasy. 

Still, Ted didn’t move into the bedroom any further. Instead those darkened eyes travelled Cody’s body from head to foot and Cody shivered, that look was as intimate and as real as a caress. When Ted spoke, his voice was low and gravelly. “Send me away.”

“Whuh – Ted?”

“If you want him instead, then send me away. I need you but I won’t take you just because of the heat...”

The words sent a shiver of lust through Cody even while he got a flash of understanding. Given that Ted had already changed Cody, he seemed to think that giving in would be another way to hurt him, either because he thought Cody was in love with Drew or at least that anything that happened between them was because of the moon and it would be a mistake for Cody at least. 

“You don’t feel like that just because of the heat,” said Cody, barely recognising his own voice. “It’s because we’re mates. You know it and I can feel it—“ 

It seemed to have been just the words to break the last barrier of Ted’s restraint. Slamming the door behind him, he crossed the room to Cody and a moment later Cody felt those strong hands on him again, the ones he’d been dreaming of since long before the pack had ever found out about him. And then Ted’s lips crashed into his own with an urgency that he’d never felt there before. Every shred of pent-up emotion was poured into that kiss and Cody gasped beneath the onslaught, the slight parting of his lips allowing Ted to claim access with his tongue, simply taking everything that Cody had to give. It was only a second before Cody found himself responding with a need just as fierce, their tongues almost fighting as Cody’s arms wrapped around Ted’s shoulders, a hand fisting in blonde hair. 

Ted’s hands were already moving down Cody’s back, pulling their bodies closer together and causing Cody to let out a moan into Ted’s mouth. Those slightly calloused hands had never failed to arouse him, even when they were doing something as simple as innocently taking his hand or brushing against his cheek – and there was no innocent intent in them right then as Ted’s hands cupped Cody’s ass tightly, the action making their denim-clad groins rub together and Cody broke the kiss as he let out another moan, this one louder.

Ted immediately moved his face to the crook of Cody’s neck, inhaling the scent of his flesh. Cody could vaguely remember being rather surprised the first time Ted had done such a thing, before they had gone any further than kissing. Now it made him feel more needed, knowing that Ted was drowning in the smell of his skin. Cody let him be a moment then tugged on Ted’s hair to bring his face up again, instigating a kiss of his own that was no less passionate or urgent than the first. 

Cody could hear the steady beat of Ted’s heart speeding up with every touch between them and his own skin felt as if it was on fire, heating up at least ten degrees more every place where Ted touched it. It wasn’t enough, already it wasn’t anywhere near enough. Breaking the kiss again, he tried to catch enough breath to tell Ted he needed more but it was Ted who spoke first. “Mine.”

“Yours, always,” agreed Cody, his own voice coming out in an almost-growl, his boyfriend forgotten. “Always. And you’re mine.”

“Yours,” echoed Ted, some slight flicker of joy showing in his eyes, bright enough to not be buried by the urgency, as if a part of himself had come back. But not all the way, Cody knew – because he himself might also be feeling love and happiness, but most of his instincts were consumed with desire and possessiveness. He needed Ted, his mate, more than anything else right then. To show their bond in the most primal way any species had.

They made it to the bed only because the room wasn’t over-large, not that Cody could see any harm at all in continuing this on the floor. His back hit the sheets a moment later and Ted’s hands descended to the waist of his jeans, tearing the denim rather than the zipper in the haste to get them down. Expensive designer jeans and one of his favourite pairs and all Cody cared about right then was how the display of strength turned him on further. Cody leaned up on his elbows, uncaring of how Ted could already see just how aroused he already was – already hard and weeping, he wasn’t sure that he’d ever been quite so ready without any real contact in his life before. “You’re wearin’ too much Teddy,” he murmured and Ted shot him a small smile that had an all too human amusement in it before shedding his own jeans and kneeling between Cody’s legs, hands planted on the mattress. Before Ted moved in for another bruising kiss, Cody could see that Ted’s shaft was in the same kind of condition as his own and knew neither of them was going to have the time or the patience for the slow, gentle lovemaking that they’d indulged in the first time they’d been together. He needed Ted inside him too badly to think for a moment of anything more than going as fast and as hard as they could. 

Ted’s hand wrapped around the base of his shaft and Cody’s breath caught, his entire body instantly stiffening in reaction. Ted’s hand around him felt good, Ted’s lips around him would probably feel even better in that moment – but that wasn’t what he wanted. He needed more than that, to give himself to Ted as completely as anyone could. He opened his mouth to try to vocalise the need and realised suddenly that Ted’s hand had moved too slowly and deliberately to have been trying to get him off and now the other had taken his hand away altogether. The reason why became very clear when he felt Ted stroke against his entrance; Cody raised his hips without having to consider the action and just about had time to murmur a plea to continue before Ted pressed a finger inside him, slick with his own pre-cum.

Cody’s resulting cry raised a grin from Ted, Cody seeing the expression through half-lidded eyes and a haze of pleasure. The first finger was joined almost immediately by a second and Cody allowed his hands to drop to the sheets and grab double-fistfuls. His body writhed beneath Ted’s, pressing back against the hand and letting out panting breaths. Already he felt incredibly close to the edge and Ted had barely had the chance to touch him. What was it that he had been told? Nothing will be able to stop you from satisfying yourself and them. He wanted that, so badly. And then Ted moved down his body, scissoring his fingers within Cody for the sole purpose of ensuring he wasn’t hurt while being satisfied, laying a small kiss on the tip of Cody’s erection that had little to do with primal need and everything to do with tenderness. 

“Now, Teddy~~” Cody’s words came out with an overlay of desperation and it occurred that Teddy might well decide to tease and withhold, if that were the case he might just drop dead of over-arousal. “I need you inside me Ted, now!”

There was no teasing, no need to ask twice. Ted removed his hand and braced it on the bed, his other going to Cody’s hip as he positioned his own erection at Cody’s entrance and thrust balls-deep into his mate in one powerful movement. Cody let out a howl of pleasure so loud that he was sure the whole manor heard him, not that he cared even slightly at that moment. There was only Ted, leaning over him with an expression of both dazed, pleasured happiness that was overlaid with concern. Cody reached up to caress Ted’s face and then moved both his hands to Ted’s shoulders, his legs wrapping around Ted’s back as his hips rose up to encourage his lover deeper into him. Within seconds they were moving in perfect tandem, Ted driving into Cody as fast and as deep as he could and Cody meeting every movement needily, his whole body begging for more although the only thing that he could say was his lovers name. 

It didn’t take long, as urgent as their coupling had been there was no way for either of them to hold back. Cody looked up at Ted, every change to his face mirroring his bliss only making Cody feel the need to memorise every second, even as it took him to still greater heights. It had never been like this for him without Ted and now he knew the reason why, the two of them were drawn together for a reason. And it wasn’t something they could deny anymore. The pitch of Cody’s cries changed as Ted found his prostate seemingly effortlessly and immediately changed his angle so that he was pounding mercilessly into it, not that Cody would be begging for mercy from that sensation. His muscles tightened to keep Ted closer to him, hearing the response in Ted’s own half-formed words and abandoned moans. 

Cody had been at the ragged edge of bliss for so long that he didn’t realise until his climax hit him that it was actually there; he all but screamed out Ted’s name as his vision whited out and his deliberately short nails dug into Ted’s shoulders as he fought to force the other impossibly deeper into himself. Only a second later the world rushed back to him in a technicolour that he’d never known possible, opening his eyes wide as he spilled across both their stomachs in time to see Ted’s own head thrown back, feeling Ted cumming inside him and hearing Ted’s own cries. That sensation was enough to make him let out another blissful moan, refusing to unlock his legs from Ted’s waist or take his hands from the man’s shoulders. If Ted was unable to support himself after the shock of orgasm, it didn’t matter to Cody. He wanted Ted lying against him, to feel his weight and the beating of his heart against Cody’s chest. 

Oh fuck, that had been good, he thought to himself as he caught Ted’s eyes and knew he was sharing the same thought as the man over him. And he was tired, he’d put everything he was into their encounter. And under any other circumstance, he would have been out for the count minutes later, good for nothing for the rest of the night. But at that time of the cycle? Pulling Ted down into a kiss that was far less urgent but just as needy as the earlier ones they had indulged in, he knew damn well that they might both need more before the moon rose.

Kissing Cody had always been one of Ted’s favourite past-times and that hadn’t changed in their time apart; he could have happily lain there kissing Cody all night long even though he knew that it was technically impossible given that they had another arrangement later on that evening. One that he was feeling slightly less wary of now that he had his mate back in his arms. The lush mouth underneath his own had goosebumps coming up over Ted’s tan skin once more, his body still joined with Cody in the most intimate manner that was possible between two people.

When their kisses broke Ted’s throat convulsed with a hard swallow as he then rumbled breathlessly. “I—I love you.” For a split second he had thought the words would be met with anger on Cody’s part despite what the other had said not minutes before about knowing that he was Ted’s mate, but that didn’t happen. For a moment Cody’s face had a pretty neutral expression upon it—but then that expression turned into a pure smile of happiness. Ted’s heart pounded at the sight of it. God, how long had it been since he had last seen that beautiful smile?

“I love you too,” Cody whispered softly, his fingers stroking through Ted’s messy tawny-blonde hair. Though they would probably have been inaudible to a normal human Ted heard the words loud and clear, and a low growl of pleasure emitted from deep in his chest in response to it. The older man leant down nuzzling their noses together in a heartbreakingly tender gesture that Cody had seen the other two pairs in the pack use that previous night when they had all changed, and Cody returned the action—an unspoken sentiment that spoke to the animals inside, assuring them that everything was going to be as it should do. They engaged in another kiss, neither seeming willing or able to stop touching or kissing the other for even the smallest of moments.

So far-gone had he been in his pleasure that despite his weariness and the sheer force of the climax that he had had, Ted was still hard within Cody. It was a factor that startled even him because usually he needed some time to adjust to a second round once he had gone once. But then, he reflected, he hadn’t ever had intercourse with Cody being during the pinnacle of their phase because he had a) not been changed originally and b) Ted had been out of the picture before the opportunity had come around that first time. It had killed him to be away from Cody anyway, but at that point it had been torture, every fibre of his being screaming and clawing to get back to Cody as soon as possible.

Gingerly (and wondering whether he should pull out of the other lest he make Cody uncomfortable) Ted shifted slightly, deciding to pull out, and Cody’s hands immediately went to his ass. The touch made Ted’s eyes widen and his hips buck on reflex; the sexiest little growling mew sounding from Cody’s kiss-swollen lips as he did so. Automatically Ted thought he had hurt the other and immediately went to apologise. However, Cody’s lips pressing against his own momentarily wiped all thoughts from his mind instantaneously.

“Mhm, Teddy~~” the expression upon Cody’s face was the perfect combination of sin and innocence and Ted felt his arousal pulse in approval. Fuck, he had almost forgotten how much Cody affected him. “—seems like someone’s happy to see me.” There was an undercurrent or a purring growl in Cody’s voice and the sound sent shivers of recognition throughout him. He had felt a kinship to Cody before, but that paled in comparison to this. This was his true mate. “Baby-Boy,” Ted murmured the little nickname he had given Cody long-ago falling from his lips easily, “—you have no idea.” He leant down for another kiss, once again losing himself in the pleasure of Cody’s lips against his own. He noted Cody’s intent moments before it happened but made no attempt to stop him. Why would he when it meant that he was soon laid underneath Cody with that beautifully nubile body completely stretched out for him to visually devour?

Shifting his position slightly (and rendering an almost submissive whine of need from Ted in the process) Cody then slowly began to rock his hips back and forth not even really doing anything other than moving. Ted’s hands immediately settled atop the top of his thigh and his hip, aiding him even then the way he always did like the gentleman he was. Cody could feel the previous perspiration of their sexual exertion returning afresh, but at that moment the thought of getting sweaty and sticky only excited him because once more it was Ted with whom he was doing those things. Feeling Ted’s short nails dig into his skin just-so a few minutes later Cody knew that the other was reaching the limit with his teasing. So, smoothly, with only minute hesitation, Cody drew himself completely off of Ted and then dropped back down. Ted literally howled with delight.

~:~

From where he had been braced on his hands and knees atop his and Chris’ giant bed, Evan paused in his pleasurable writhing as the sound of a howl vaguely registered in his ears. Had they been in wolf-form the appendages would have been twitching violently. His eyes widened slightly as he recognised the creator of the sound: Ted. “C-Chris!” Evan gasped, twisting his head around and seeing the top half of his lover’s face as Chris teased him with that wicked tongue that was good for more than selling far-fetched stories and rock-lyrics. Chris seemed completely absorbed in what he was doing, soft growls and pants hitting Evan’s sensitive exposed entrance as the older man changed the flexibility and intensity of his tongue continually to keep Evan on his toes.

“CHRIS!” Evan tried again and the unexpected tone of the other’s voice made Chris momentarily pause. The sight of some saliva glistening upon Chris’ chin made Evan’s cheeks burn a deeper crimson but he ploughed on with what he wanted to know regardless. “Listen!” Chris frowned slightly, his eyes darkened to an almost dangerous hue with concentrated passion, “Puppy, why the fuck would I listen at something else when I could be listening to you screaming for me?” the look Evan sent him made Chris obey—something he would probably never have done in this situation had it been with anyone but Evan. A second sound emitted faintly a few moments later, but this one was different than the first. Momentary interest sparked over Chris’ features. “Well, well, well…” Evan looked to the wall before him, almost as though expecting to see through it all the way to the other side of the mansion, “Was that--?” he then gasped as he felt Chris’ hands kneading his buttocks.

“Cody?” Chris responded, spreading Evan apart and bearing that tight rosebud to his eager gaze once more and hearing Evan’s almost desperate panting at the shame and excitement of the decadent position even though he was only before Chris; his most trusted person in the whole world. “Yes, Puppy, I do believe it was. Seems that boy has a set of lungs on him.” Chris’ pleasure at this development –in terms of what this would mean for the future of the pack- was felt strongly by Evan and it seemed to have given his lover even more of a quick-start of energy. Something told Evan that he was going to be getting no rest before the time for the change came. Not that he minded much in all honesty.

“Such a pretty cry,” Chris teased his mate, watching as Evan’s back arched slightly and a small growl of territoriality left the younger man at the merest hint of his mate’s attention straying. The slight caress Chris gave to his side immediately soothed the man though and as soon as Evan relaxed was when Chris thrust himself to the hilt within the welcoming body he adored as often as possible and in all manner of ways. “Oh, God!” Evan all but screamed at the ceiling from the sensation of fullness; no matter how many times he had experienced it it never failed to make his head spin. “Not God, Puppy—“Chris murmured, his hands running down Evan’s arms until his hands covered the smaller’s atop the covers and their fingers twined together tightly, “But pretty damn close.” He was joking, of course, playing off the arrogance that the public in the village near their mansion had come to expect from him. They thought him eccentric, somewhat cruel but oddly generous when it came to local projects etc. and that fit in well with Chris who had taken a liking to the private life now his rock star days were over and done.

Pulling out of Evan Chris immediately then thrust straight back into him, carefully monitoring that he hadn’t hurt the other but then giving him the rougher coupling that he could feel the other wanted at that point in time. A slightly softer smirk touched Chris’ lips as he listened to Evan’s moans and gasps; the praises and loving words running over him like a summer-time shower. One good thing had come out of his life as a famous rocker: Evan. If he hadn’t been famous enough to end up at that club he’d never have come across the lost looking man (he’d been no child, but he was barely a man, little more than a teen) who had captured his eye—and who had been leading a lifestyle that had threatened to rob him of the brightness that surrounded him, and the beautifully open smile that Chris cherished and felt incomplete whenever it was absent.

~~~~

Another tree creaked ominously as his back connected with it hard, and Randy arched at the sight pain from the bark scraping against his skin. Giving a wanton moan (that was only partially deliberate because god-knew he was turned on so bad right then regardless of the moon’s influence) Randy met John’s electric blues and licked his lips slowly, sensually. “Mhm… you look sooo good when you’re angry, John-John.” John’s large hand tweaked his nipple and Randy hissed softly between his teeth in pleasure and arched his back to welcome more of the sensation. The air around them seemed to be thickening with the growing sexual tension between them and Randy breathed the scent in greedily; combined with the myriad of scents from the great outdoors it was like a potent aphrodisiac and the scent caressed his nether-regions the same way John’s denim clad hips did. Randy’s own clothing already laid in a pile of –now- useless scrap material several feet away, the pair of them having tussled and groped desperately almost as soon as they had gotten in the covering of the trees. He had managed to get John’s shirt off in turn, but then the other had slammed him against the tree before he could attempt to do more.

“You shouldna done that, Randy.” Randy growled softly; he loved the way John’s accent thickened the more incensed the man was. John was a beautiful creature, but there was nothing more beautiful than such a dimpled good-boy-next-door throwing away the shackles of propriety and showing Randy the sensual, rugged being within. That was a side of John Randy knew that no one else had ever seen—and that he guarded with every fibre of his being. The way they behaved in these times, every action they made and every thought they had was just for the other and no one else. Giving a dangerous smirk Randy attempted to feign innocence even as he pressed one thick, toned thigh between John’s legs and began to rub it against the bulge in the denim that he could feel there. “Shouldn’t have done, what, John?” he crooned. John’s eyes fluttered closed and he couldn’t resist rutting against the strong leg momentarily.

“You know what.” Suddenly, Randy felt himself pulled away from the tree and then slammed to the bracken and dry-dirt ground. The sheer showing of strength from his mate was appealing to him in a manner that he had never thought possible before John. He had seen attractive men before, had seen built men before, had even seen combinations of the two traits… but none of them had ever been like John Cena. Randy adored clutching those broad shoulders as John thrust into him over and over again, revelled in running his nails down that smooth back to feel the muscles ripple and flex powerfully with John’s determined movements. He loved nothing more than grabbing that delicious ass John possessed and kneading it, biting at it, grabbing at it every chance he could, but especially when they were intimate. No man had ever had John there but him. And no other ever would.

John felt Randy push at his chest and allowed himself to be pushed down to a sitting position, back against yet another tree, so that the taller man was sitting astride his lap. “Ted. You shouldn’t-a pushed that boy like that. What if he’d-a gone for you?” Randy looked slightly amused at the thought but John knew that he didn’t take the younger man as lightly as it might have seemed; all of them had an inconsiderable strength that was nothing to be scoffed at, and the fact that all of them (bar Cody if you wanted to be technical) knew each other so well made them even more threatening. “But he didn’t, did he?” Randy murmured as he leant in and licked a hot stripe up the thrumming pulse in John’s throat and internally dancing at the way it raced, “And, if things happen as I reckon they will have,” Randy said with slightly more confidence than he truly felt, “—then Ted will have his Cody back before the phase is over.” John seemed slightly sceptical, but he had reached his limit of wanting to talk as the heat was building and he had his mate so deliciously naked and in such a delicious position. “We’ll see. Now…” John smirked in a manner that made Randy’s mouth run dry.

Whenever they were in situations like this John had the ability to make himself look a cross between an angel and a devil and Randy was suddenly made aware of the magnitude of how deeply in thrall, in love, he truly was with this man. “—are you gonna take these jeans off for me or amma gonna have to do it myself?” Randy didn’t need telling twice and immediately began tearing at the denim to get John as naked as he. The Boston native had the quip on the tip of his tongue (“Down boy, down!”) but then a much more pleasant sensation than denim covered his erected cock and he threw his head backwards into the tree with a cry of pleasure. The impact would have knocked out a normal human, and the tree would forever bear a slight indent, but John had barely noticed as Randy began to expertly suck on him.


	7. Chapter Six: Say Goodbye For Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final night of the change is upon the Pack, and then it's time for them to separate for the time being.

They didn’t gather outside that evening as they would every other because although pack was tolerated on the final night of the phase, the same as usual, it was safer for all involved if they kept some more distance between one another on this night especially because all of them were much more jealous, much more territorial than usual. They wouldn’t mean to go for one another when the beast released them from its clutches and the moon no longer ruled their instincts, but the point was that they might go for each other and none of them wanted to risk it. Once John and Chris had ended up in a pretty brutal scrap and Randy, Evan and Ted had all sustained injuries from trying to get them apart—they had both been understandably upset with themselves the next day, both for attacking one another and their mates and friends.

Since John and Randy were already in the forest their change wasn’t a problem and they were soon taking off in the woods together to burn off the extra energy all of them seemed to acquire of the final night of the phase. Next from the house came Chris and Evan, Evan limping just a little and Chris bearing some impressive bite-marks. Both things would be gone by the time the sun rose the next morning, but they didn’t cause either man discomfort even before they changed. Evan nosed Chris’ cheek and then nipped at his ear affectionately. Chris made a joking snap at Evan’s tail as they began further into the woods—Chris pausing to look back to the house in time to see Cody and Ted come out; both men were naked, ardently and openly touching and caressing one another in a manner that would leave no one in doubt as to their involvement together. Internally smirking to himself Chris then turned and hastened to follow his mate into the undergrowth—it seemed Evan had spotted a rabbit and Chris wanted to make sure he didn’t catch it… he’d probably cry the next morning when he realised if he did. It had happened before.

When the change took him over Cody was completely against leaving Ted’s side, and Ted didn’t seem to mind that at all. As they headed through the undergrowth (in the opposite direction to their friends, though all would stay within pack limits) Cody suddenly registered voices in his mind. It had happened the night before but there had been so much going on, being around others on those nights had been a novelty that had distracted him from really taking much notice of it, but now he was noticing it loud and clear. He could hear all of them as though they were right besides him: Ted, Chris, Evan, John and Randy. Whereas the night before he had been rebelling against everything possible to do with the pack, the realisation made him feel… oddly whole. Accepted.

“Damn, boys—“ Randy’s voice sounded in his mind and Cody knew he would have been blushing had he been able, “—did you even leave the bed intact before joining us out here? Chris doesn’t let us use the house-expenditures for replacing things that are broken in the need for sex.”

Ted mentally rolled his eyes at the other man, knowing that the other would feel the motion. “Just because you and John have broken so many beds that you should both just get stock in a bed company!” It was a rather weak comeback he’d admit, but the truth be told he was just too happy to give the usual defensive retort that he would have not several hours beforehand.

“Children, please, play nicely. Besides, I had to draw the line when you and John broke the dining room table, you animals.” Chris’ deliberately refined response had the pack laughing collectively.

Compared to yesterday the mood was almost euphoric as the three couples moved about in the giant lush forest, chasing animals and one another and just enjoying the freedom that came with their change. The time seemed to fly by and soon each of the wolves was settling down with their mate to get some sleep, knowing that they’d awaken as human once more and then it’d be another month before they repeated this event. As Cody’s eyes closed and he and Ted curled together underneath the canopy of a tree, he couldn’t help feeling that it was just all too good to be true. The thought was short-lived though and gone before he was asleep.

Ted woke the next morning beneath a canopy of trees that he strongly suspected had been inhabited by John and Randy in their human form at some point the previous day, he’d been able to smell their combined scents just before they’d changed shape again and he’d decided it was as good a place as any. There was no reason for them not to go back in the house and depending on the weather they would usually do so, but in the relatively clement season they all liked to indulge their instinct to be outdoors and anyway, Ted had rather wanted a repeat of the previous days awakening with Cody, the one they should have really had. He’d gotten his wish, Cody was nestled against his chest, still asleep, an arm flung carelessly over Ted. Ted smiled to himself, not daring to move in case he woke his sleeping mate. 

He was still ashamed that everyone had found out about him changing Cody and terribly sorry that he had done that to his lover, but Cody really didn’t seem as messed up by it as he might have been. Not anymore at least, he’d seemed to adjust pretty well. Then again, he hadn’t had the choice any more than Ted had originally. And the rest of the pack seemed to see it as some kind of mistake, one that had life-altering consequences but still not to the point of being unforgivable. Then again, they had a different perspective than most. 

A few minutes later Cody stirred, moving his face out of Ted’s chest and looking up at him with sleepy but clear blue eyes. “We keep wakin’ up naked in the woods,” he murmured.

Ted chuckled. “Yeah, well maybe next time we’ll make it inside. I dunno though, I kinda like being closer to nature.”

“I don’t usually like being this far away from an electrical outlet, but since I’m with you I can make an exception. You’re better than a television.” 

“Gee, thanks,” said Ted dryly. 

Cody laughed at the tone and leaned up to kiss Ted, letting his lips linger against the other man’s for a moment. “Teddy,” he said and his voice turned slightly more serious. “I don’t know – well, I don’t know anything about how you came to be like we are. I only know a little, well, sort of…” He saw the flicker in Ted’s expression and forced himself to continue. “The Pack sort of mentioned it…” Because he was afraid that if Ted’s change had come about thanks to someone else then Ted might still have some connection to them – although he believed entirely that Ted hadn’t lied about being a virgin when they met and had no intimate contact with anyone in their pack, but he was afraid there might be some kind of lingering connection with the person that had changed him. 

Ted shifted slightly so that their legs entwined, a slight frown marring his face. “Not one of our pack. A rogue, I mean, a real rogue. One that doesn’t abide by the rules.” Slowly he began to tell Cody the story of his ill-fated camping trip, the one he had wanted to tell Cody when they were first going out together, only he had thought his lover could never believe him. Things were different now of course and Cody didn’t have much choice but to believe him. “He was playing with me, I saw that right away, even though I was scared to death and bleeding. He got my thigh and then just kinda hung back, let me make a scramble for the tent. I got almost inside before he got his jaws around my ankle and dragged me back out and that’s not normal behaviour for us, as you know. Or for ordinary wolves either. But some werewolves don’t think there should be any rules that apply to them and now I can see it was some kinda fucked-up impression of a hunt. I managed to grab the rifle though, kept my head even though I thought it was gonna chew right through my ankle, turned on my back and shot it.”

He felt Cody’s arms tighten around him as he continued the story of finding the wolf he’d shot had turned into a man in death, making up a story so he didn’t sound like he was hysterical, getting rabies shots and questions. Although no one had questioned a teenage boy attacked by a naked man in the woods too closely, all thinking that they knew just what the intent of the attack had been. They’d never found a dog in the woods, Ted added with a wry smirk. 

Cody listened to all of this with wide eyes, feeling suddenly both terrible for Ted, awestruck by the thought of a young man with enough about him to fight back when attacked and shaken by the knowledge that had Ted not acted as he had, he might have been torn apart in the woods that night. He knew well enough that all of them were physically capable of such a thing, even if they weren’t morally capable. 

“So Chris found you by some news story and came after you?” he asked, almost timidly. 

Ted chuckled. “Yeah. He’s very rich and he uses that money to move mountains when he has to. I didn’t even recognise him to be honest, but I believed what he was telling me because it was the only thing that made any sense of what had really happened. Everyone else bought my lone weirdo and dog story, but he knew.” Ted shrugged. “Had to change my plans, managed to get out of my military acceptance with some PTSD excuse, which they bought easily enough. I adapted.”

“Teddy – are you sorry?” Cody gazed solemnly at Ted. “That one night changed your whole life. You couldn’t do what you planned and everything changed. Does it piss you off?”

Ted considered this for a moment. “No. Not really. I wanted to be a marine forever but this wasn’t something I could help and it wasn’t as if it was the end of my life. If I’d done that, I could never have met you when I did either. So no, most of the time it’s just something that happens and there’s as many compensations as drawbacks.” He met Cody’s eyes, wondering why Cody had brought that up and forcing himself to ask the question. “Do you wish you’d never been changed?”

Cody read the worry in Ted’s eyes and shook his head. “Y’know what? That’s one thing that’s never really come into it. It’s changed my life, there’s no question of that. And the situation could have been better... but the whole wolf part of it? Honestly, I don’t mind that part. I kinda like it, it’s a lot of fun and things feel, I dunno, simpler...” Cody laughed self-consciously. “I suppose that’s a little weird.”

Ted chuckled, cutting Cody off with a kiss. “Not weird. I know there’s a lot of issues that go with hiding this, but I gotta say that I love life on four legs as well.”

Cody grinned back at him, stealing another brief kiss. “But what about the others? How did they..?”

Ted raised a finger to his lips. “Some other time. It’s a whole bunch of long stories and if we stay out here much longer in human form, we’re gonna get cold. Or ants in places we really don’t want ‘em.”

Cody laughed a little. “So we get up, get dressed, get breakfast...” 

“Prepare to go home,” added Ted in a slightly lower voice than he’d been using. 

“Yeah.” That dried up Cody’s questions about the pack. He’d spent the night with Ted and he didn’t regret it for a moment, admitted his love for the other and that he realised they were meant to be mates – but he still lived with Drew, who had no idea that Cody had ever even dated a man named Ted, let alone that Cody had made his choice about who he wanted to be with. Drew didn’t even know he was away. He hadn’t been fair to Drew when he had done what he had, but Drew never needed to know about it. Which of course didn’t mean he could keep stringing Drew along. 

Sitting up, Cody sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “I guess I have a lot of things to sort out when I get outta here.”

Ted also sat up, kissed Cody’s shoulder but didn’t say anything. Much as considering Drew made him want to snarl, he also realised he had Cody back and disparaging a competitor he had never met wouldn’t help him much, or Cody’s peace of mind. After a few moments, Cody looked back at him and smiled and both men got to their feet, making their way back to the manor.

Before they got there, Cody spoke again. “Where are you going? You’ve been on the road for a while by all accounts.”

“Yeah, a real long while.” Ted looked around, seeing no sign of the others, although the scent of cooking food suggested that they’d all already gone back into the manor while they had idled away talking. “I’ve still got the house. Chris never minds any of us staying on here even when it’s not time to change, but I think I might go home instead.” He paused. “If you find yourself short of a place to live, you know where I am.”

Cody nodded without making a reply, a small but happy smile playing around his lips.

The manor was a hive of activity when they got in, most of the noise coming from the kitchen. Both men exchanged looks and by some common shared thought, went upstairs to shower and dress before they went anywhere near the scene. 

The morning after the final change was always crossed with many differing moods, partly because teh senses that were at their height even during the day while they were undergoing their three or four day transitions were starting to dim, more human traits came to the surface while others remained as they were. It could be a fraught time and breakfasting with someone who had seen you tear a rabbit apart in your jaws the night before could be uncomfortable. Fortunately, the pack were acquainted with each other enough (with the exception of Cody) to be relatively at ease with each other even then. Randy had been assigned to making breakfast, something that was making him very sulky after all the energy he’d expended the night before. John watched for a while then took pity (on everyone else rather than his mate) and gave a hand. Their place was only an hour or so’s drive from the manor, chosen because of John needing to take as few days from his work as possible, unlike the others whose careers allowed them to pick and choose their days with rather more freedom. 

Chris claimed that he was checking his laptop for news reports, something he kept a close eye on especially after the last night of the full moon, but Randy was almost sure that he was playing some game online, that suspicion strengthened every time Chris cursed softly under his breath. Out of all the four, he seemed the most relaxed in comparison to how he’d been in the last few days and they were all pretty sure why; it looked like the Cody issue had been resolved. And Ted would more than likely be back home again. Chris took care of every werewolf in his territory, more so those with strong pack affiliation and they all knew how much it had played on his mind.

Since John and Randy were taking care of breakfast Evan wasn’t getting much chance to be up and helping out and as such he was slightly bored. They were all dressed again in varying degrees of casual attire, Chris looking the most over-dressed by the smart trousers and shirt he wore, but was sans a tie to prevent him from looking overly office-worker-like. Evan was sitting in his usual seat to Chris’ left (the mate’s place as opposed to the junior-alpha’s position on the right) and had a notebook open before him. Curiously, Cody enquired as to what he was writing and Evan blushed slightly before reluctantly handing it over so Cody could see. Considering that he was a pretty accomplished fictional writer Evan hated letting those close to him read what he wrote regardless of whether it was finished or not.

Intrigued, Cody flipped several pages back to the front of the apparently fresh notebook and began to read. In the background he could make out Chris’ continued, soft curses as he did whatever he was doing on his laptop, and Ted’s quiet chuckles at the sounds that the other took great pains to pretend he wasn’t doing whenever Chris looked up and sent him a look. Neat handwriting covered the pages and most amusingly, it turned out to be a werewolf story. “Such an unusual fictitious topic.” He mused, looking to Evan over the top of the notebook. Evan’s teeth appeared in an impish grin as he waved his hand and airily played along, “Well, the idea just came to me, y’know? Vampires are so overdone.” Cody chuckled lightly.

Probably understandably it was a story containing a heterosexual couple and even though that obviously wouldn’t appeal to him on quite a few levels he found Evan’s writing to be personally engaging indeed. Seeing a slight anomaly though he shyly asked, “Might I make a suggestion?” Instead of looking pissed off or offended as Cody had been expected Evan welcomed the ideal—he might not like sharing his work with his closest through embarrassment but if anyone read it he was always looking to take feedback and suggestions. “Please do.” Leaning across the table a little Cody pointed out the slight uncertainty he had seen and Evan thanked him, “I hadn’t noticed that.” He admitted, his pen coming up and making several swift changed. Interestedly he then asked Cody, “Are you a writer?” he hadn’t actually gotten to know much about Cody given Ted had kept quite mum about him, and Cody himself hadn’t entirely been talkative about himself personally for obvious reasons.

“Journalist.” Cody explained slightly shyly, “I don’t have the imagination for your kind of writing.” Evan immediately shook his head, dispelling such a thought, much to Cody’s surprise, “I wouldn’t say that at all—“their conversation was momentarily interrupted by the arrival of a large, greasy breakfast. “My heroes!” Evan faux-swooned and John laughed whereas Randy was still in the midst of pouting, wanting to eat as opposed to having to be the one standing there and cooking. Placing his notebook away almost in tandem to Chris placing his laptop aside, Evan waiting patiently to choose his portions. “This right here is my idea of Heaven.” Cody confessed and momentarily Randy’s pout abated as he offered the cheeky comment of, “I thought Ted’s bed was your idea of Heaven?” Cody went red, mouth working slightly for some clever retort; one of the knives from the cutlery piled onto the centre of the table went whizzing past his ear though and immediately had him shutting his mouth. Ted had just thrown a knife at Randy. The action was not a true intention to hurt and Randy caught it effortlessly between two fingers.

John and Evan barely flinched at such behaviour as Cody gaped, the two other men reaching and beginning to get food. As Evan began putting a plate together for his mate Chris frowned at Randy and Ted in a manner that was almost paternal in its displeasure. “If you both can’t eat in a civilised manner then you will go and eat off of the floor outside, got it?” knowing that Chris would all but tie them to the poles outside and force them to eat from the plates like dogs if they pissed him off enough Randy and Ted let their argument go for the moment. “They don’t mean it,” John said, obviously reading Cody’s confusion correctly about the way Randy and Ted seemed to be at continual logger-heads with one another. “—those two just like to get under each other’s skins. It’s like two very annoying little brothers.” Randy sent John a pout before wrinkling his nose, “Ew, John, I didn’t realise that incest was your thing. I mean I know you’re a kinky bastard when you get going but—mphhh!”

The sausage that suddenly crammed Randy’s mouth had been expertly placed there by John who hadn’t even so much as broken his stride in what he had been saying to Cody across the table, “Don’t worry about ‘em, Ok?” Cody nodded, reaching and selecting some food for himself and before too long the banter had died down somewhat in favour of eating. Seeing so many men in good shape eating as much as they were would probably have boggled the mind—and made a dietician cry before breaking her calorie counter into many pieces as she screamed about how unhealthy they were. Not that any of them cared much—they ate what they wanted when they wanted and knew their kick-ass metabolisms and monthly exercise would work it off.

As they finished eating Evan and Chris collected the dishes to sort out as he, Ted, John and Randy left to go and gather their things together. Apparently Evan lived with Chris in the manor all year around; something that surprised Cody given that Evan was so young and yet happy to be kept so out of the way. He went upstairs with Ted, his hand joined with the other as they made the way to their rooms to pack.

~~~~

It had been rather devastating to say goodbye to Ted when he had packed everything. They had exchanged phone-numbers and emails once more, both having changed the two so as to try and cut themselves apart from one another even more. Both of them knew how useless it had been now in retrospect but at the time it had given them some sort of illusion as to succeed to such a thing. The final kiss Ted had given him through the window of his Mercedes had been enough to get his heart pounding and his shaft stirring in his jeans, all thoughts of leaving the manor leaving his mind as he was momentarily seized by the urge to just drag Ted into the car with him for some much more interesting activities. However, he hadn’t, and before too long he was back on the dirt road that led towards the man road through the village which he needed to head back towards the city where he resided.

Ted’s new number was not the only number he had on his phone, or the only new email he had to add to his address book—every single one of the pack had insisted that he have some way to keep in touch with them. “After all.,” Evan had chirped happily, “—we’re friends now, right?” Cody hadn’t been able to argue with that much, and so had accepted the information from them all without making any sort of fuss. Chris had taken him aside for a private word and Cody had grudgingly said that Chris was now able to count him as part of the pack. It wasn’t the pack that he had a problem with if he was honest, it was just the thought of being told what to do and how to act by someone, and being unable to disobey no matter how much he might want to, rankled with him. He had never been good at following authority figures even from a young age and that hadn’t changed even as he’d grown… he’d just gotten all the better at pretending to do so without complaint when it came to the human world. Cody sighed, pulling onto yet another road to get to the highway.

From where he currently resided in the city (and he was quite possibly going to need to take up Ted’s offer of somewhere to stay when he ended things with Drew) Ted lived two hours away; a commute that he had been more than happy to put up with because he got to see Ted at the end of it, and a commute that he would be more than happy to partake in once more for that same reason. It took him several hours to reach home and by the time he did it was already late afternoon, drawing into evening—something that was probably unsurprising when you considered how they hadn’t gotten up until mid-morning and then had then had the big breakfast before then adding in all the packing and the goodbyes and everything. Plus he had also been backed-up at some point by an accident on the main motorway and that had thrown him back by at least an hour.

Although he had been intending to confront Drew as early as possible –so as to not be unfair to the other man and drag the process out longer than necessary- by the time he had gotten back he was in no mood to do anything other than eat and sleep right then. Taking his travel-suitcase of out of the boot he locked his car and then made his way into the apartment building before going into the lift to get to his and Drew’s floor. Pausing outside the door he mentally steeled himself before then testing the door-handle—it was locked. Frowning slightly, Cody pulled his key out of his pocket and then opened the door. Easing it open he then poked his head around the door and looked into the dark living room, “Drew?” he called. Almost as soon as he entered the living room and closed the door behind him (the sound echoing in the silence) his phone went off in his pocket. Although the timing seemed oddly coincidental to him –he had been watching too many horror films recently- he felt a prickle of unease running up his spine when he saw the message was from Drew, and not Ted or any of the pack.

The message was succinct, supposedly cheery from what he could tell: apparently Drew had stopped by to visit his parents and he was going to spend the night there since he’d had a couple of drinks with his parents as a belated birthday celebration for his mother since he had missed her birthday. Cody couldn’t help think that something was amiss as he sent Drew an affirmative message (and added ‘we need to talk about something’ into it) and then threw his phone onto the coffee-table absent-mindedly. Already he was feeling lonely and uneasy without Ted’s presence nearby, Drew’s scent now sending all his instincts rebelling the smell of one who was not their mate twined so closely with his own.

Ted had barely managed to get home when Cody texted – Randy and John had offered him a lift, which he’d declined since they lived much closer to the manor than his own house was. He hadn’t taken a car on the road with him and he’d gone straight from rambling to the mansion, so he was pretty much stuck without transport. John and Randy had driven him to the nearest train station, but with their changes and delays it had taken him a while to get back. He hadn’t been in the house in so long that he almost expected to have been robbed, but it was still locked up tight, the alarm set and he let himself in, turned on some lights and set about making the place a little more lived in. 

He was checking the fridge and realising dolefully that it was empty and unplugged when his phone bleeped, he grabbed for it quickly, hoping that Cody hadn’t run into trouble. If that was the case then he was going to take the car (also locked up tight in the garage, he had been on good terms with them all and they had kept an eye on the place for him) and pick him up, he knew that Drew wasn’t going to be pleased at being suddenly dumped and it wasn’t as if Cody had his own place to go back to. 

But the text told him that Cody hadn’t even seen Drew yet, he was staying at his parents’ house and planning to be back the next morning. Ted frowned a little. Much as he was glad of Cody getting some rest (and himself getting his house in some kind of order), he didn’t like the way things were so up in the air. They were a possessive species by nature and he just wanted Drew gone so that they could be together properly and without – his lips curled into an unconscious snarl – an interloper. 

Well, there was nothing that could be done about it, his human side reminded him. When Drew got back, Cody would be able to deal with it – and perhaps he was a little prejudice about it, but he didn’t think that Drew was about to cause huge amounts of trouble. Cody was stronger than any human and his mind was made up; he was returning to his mate. Singing to himself, Ted returned a text telling Cody he would call back later and decided to take a walk down to the shop. There was a 7-11 nearby, he could at least pick up milk, coffee and pizza. And although he knew there was no guarantee that Cody would want to move into his house so soon, he wanted the place to be acceptable. Just in case.


	8. Chapter Seven: A Storm Is Brewing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan reminisces about the past whilst reflecting on his present, and meets a new acquaintance.

Evan loved Chris with an intensity that he had heard about, even witnessed, but had never expected to experience for himself. The night that a famous rock star and his small ensemble of hangers-on had walked into a club a long way from where he now lived, he had been in the company of a moderately famous newsreader whose sexuality was an open secret in the industry, the public had no idea but it wasn’t news to those in the news. Evan knew that his reasons for being allowed on the man’s arm had nothing to do with his personality and everything to do with his availability and attractiveness, that he wasn’t going to embarrass his nights partner and that at the end of the night, if the man required his presence until the morning, then he could have it. The seated group were dull, the man’s meaty hand resting heavily on his knee and Evan had been wishing desperately that he was at home alone than at this extremely exclusive club with the excellent free-flowing alcohol – he had been aware that he was fast losing his illusions and becoming jaded, turning into someone he wasn’t sure he liked, but he didn’t see that there was anything he could do about that. 

And then he had turned his head to gaze across the room and spied Chris, those direct blue eyes staring right back at him and he’d been struck with a combination of fascination and lust so strong that he felt it almost like a physical blow. He was outgoing enough by nature but when it came to this kind of thing he was never sure what to do to avoid looking foolish and it hardly mattered anyway, he could hardly go over there and make a move on someone when he was with someone else, no matter how attractive they were. Only he hadn’t had to, because Chris had used his sharp eyes and insight to learn about the situation (and Evan had become increasingly uncomfortable knowing he was being watched and the conclusions that were being drawn), then his imperious outer shell to change it. Since that night, Evan had been entirely Chris’ – and he wouldn’t change his life for anyone else’s. 

If there was one thing that he occasionally wished were slightly different, it was that he was by nature a friendly, sociable person, while Chris tended to get mobbed in the street even after his early retirement from the scene. With that and the pack business, Chris pretty much kept to himself and he kept Evan (usually not literally) on a tight leash. Not through petty reasons, Evan was astute enough to realise, but because he was concerned for Evan’s well-being and their secrets. Although possessiveness did come into it; Chris never liked to discuss Evan’s past and he didn’t like the thought of anyone else being attracted to his mate. As pack leader for many years, not to mention a former rock star who was used to people falling over themselves to grant his requests, Chris wasn’t always the most understanding when other people’s wants were at odds with his – but for Evan’s sake, he genuinely did try and Evan appreciated that, maybe more than Chris knew.

The manor always felt quiet after the rest of the pack had gone their separate ways and Evan tended to combat this by heading out for a while, meeting some people or just hanging around by himself, depending on his mood. He would usually cite some chore he had to take care of, although he doubted that Chris was fooled. That day he had arranged to meet a couple of young men he knew in the nearby town for a few drinks and some talk, although Evan tended to stick to soft drinks unless Chris was around and even then it was a rarity for him. They spent two hours chatting about various unimportant topics before Evan made his way back to the car and decided to stop off at a supermarket – Chris liked to internet shop for what they needed and Evan indulged him, but Chris would cheerfully buy a hundred dollars worth of meat and completely forget bread, or toilet roll, or any of the other day-to-day items that they also needed. Smiling a little at his partners forgetfulness, he made a quick stop and while in there, had a brainwave – they had the manor to themselves and while having the pack there never once made Chris act any differently behind closed doors than usual (a blush touched Evan’s face as he remembered hearing Cody and how Chris had used that to bring out a territorial instinct in Evan moments before taking him again), it might be nice to enjoy their first night of quiet with a film and some ice cream. 

Evan made his way down the freezer aisle before going to pay, knowing that there was an about equal chance that the ice cream would be fed to each other, or eaten off each other, as it was they would indulge in the way intended. On the way back there was a Blockbuster, he had his card, so it was all good. He wasn’t sure, but he thought there was even a new werewolf film going straight to DVD – it was supposed to be pretty bad but Chris adored those films, even if it was just for the laugh value. Evan supposed he could see why, but some of them freaked him out a bit. Mostly where the werewolves were the bad guys, zombie-like in a quest for human flesh. It wasn’t true and he felt like he was being misrepresented, but Chris even found that amusing and a display of the idiocy of film writers. 

Blockbuster wasn’t very busy and Evan left his car locked up outside (a classic car that had been a gift from Chris on his last birthday, he loved the vehicle almost as much as what it represented), walking into the building through the automatic doors, the only thing on his mind being to wonder if he should get popcorn too and if the ice-cream would defrost while he wasn’t looking and melt through three bags to ruin the carpeting in his boot – and then he stopped, head tilting up slightly as he scented the air. It was a subtle gesture, but anyone who knew what he was would have known what he was doing. And there was every chance that someone in here would be able to tell. 

Werewolf.

Chris might express some concern about his actions later, but Evan was no lightweight in either form, no matter what his stature or what his overprotective boyfriend sometimes thought. He walked casually further into the shop, apparently examining the DVDs but in reality his senses searching for one person. He didn’t recognise the scent, it wasn’t someone who was already a member of the pack – whether or not that meant trouble was debatable. And wouldn’t Chris be proud of him for identifying a lone that had escaped their attention so far?

He rounded a corner, found himself in the new release section and spied his target at around the same time his target spied him – of course, the other wolf would have been able to smell him too. But judging by the quick, slightly nervous glance in his direction before the man looked back at some comedy film, there was no threat here. The man was around his age, bronzed and black-haired, well-built as all of their species were. Evan found he could envision the other as a wolf, dark and agile. 

Evan made his way down there, noting the man was stood right in front of the film he’d been thinking of getting for the both of them. “Hi,” he said brightly.

“Uh, hi.” The other man gave him that sidelong glance again, the barest hint of a smile there and gone before Evan could really see it. 

Evan raised an eyebrow, this wasn’t going to be made easy for him. Still, he was pretty forthright and not especially worried about looking like a fool. Around here everyone knew he lived with Chris and they thought Chris was an eccentric rock star, Evan being eccentric by association. “Look, you know what I am and I know what you are. Let’s not duck the situation. You’re new in town?”

“I’m not really in town.” The man flashed him another nervous smile and Evan wondered if the man had ever even met another werewolf before. He looked like he expected an attack. “I’m just passing through. I just came to get a couple of snacks and then I’m driving through again.”

“To where?”

Evan found a suspicious look levelled at him. “I’ve just said I’m not here to butt into your territory. Why does it matter?”

“We’ve got a lot of territory.” Evan stuck out a hand, thinking he didn’t want to spook the stranger further. “My name’s Evan.”

The man took it gingerly and shook, as if waiting to be tugged into a choke hold and thrown through a window. “Justin.”

“It’s good to meet you Justin.” Evan dropped the hand. “It’s really none of my business. But our pack leader’s pretty hot on knowing of all of us who live in the territory, pack or not.”

Justin shrugged. “I’m going to meet some friends for a few days, then I’m going home. Trust me, I live a long way from here, I’ve been driving a long time. I just need a few things, then I meet my friends, then I leave.”

Evan hesitated. Something about the situation didn’t seem quite right, but he wasn’t as forceful when it came to getting information out of people as Chris, nor as good at reading them. “Are you meeting anyone from your pack?”

“Sometimes you just need a break from the pack,” said Justin ruefully and Evan chuckled, understanding the sentiment although it wasn’t something he personally felt. “I assume your Alpha would know if we were on your territory, so you hardly need to worry about them.” 

“I’m just making sure,” returned Evan, although he was sure there was something off about this whole thing. Justin had a shy smile and he seemed to be friendly and honest, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was hiding something. And there was something wrong with his smell, to put not too fine a point on it. He smelled of other wolves and Evan believed that he was part of a pack, but... it was more the ratio. The one smell that had to be the pack leader was strongest, but the others were almost as strong (and all strange to Evan, no one he knew). That wasn’t usual. Their pack smelled most strongly of their mates, with other pack members fading as the full moon went to memory. Evan knew that after a shower he now smelled of Chris and maybe faintly of the others, this guy smelled like he’d been play-wrestling with the whole pack only hours before. 

But he didn’t really have justification to ask Justin anything more and so he grabbed the DVD he’d been after. After a moment, he dug out his wallet and handed Justin a card, the number of a mobile phone they used solely for times like this. It was untraceable and safe, unable to be linked to either himself or Chris and not illegal if it was linked. “If you need anything else while you’re in our territory, just ask.”

“Thanks.” Justin took the card and looked at it curiously, like he’d never seen one before or had been expecting different. “But really, I’m just passing through.”

Evan nodded, taking his DVD to the counter and forgetting all about popcorn as he put the film on their account and left the building, throwing the DVD on the passenger side. It was just starting to darken and had it been the night before, he would have been worried about getting home on time – in fact, the night before he would have still been in bed with his mate, indulging in sinfully good pleasures. That made him smile and he drove off, not waiting for Justin to emerge because not only would the man think he was being followed, but because the only car with out of state plates had to be his and Evan had already noted the licence. Not that he thought he’d ever need to look it up, probably he really was just passing through. 

It wasn’t until he was most of the way home that something else occurred to him; if the guy was only passing through and just picking up a few things before driving another thousand or however miles, then what the hell was he doing in Blockbuster?

~::~

It was a bit of a dilemma that Cody had to face afterwards; did he unpack his things or did he pack everything up ready for when he left? Not that he had anywhere to go except… except for Ted’s place, that was. But, at the same time there was some part of him that thought it was too soon. Wasn’t there some unwritten law of etiquette that you didn’t jump from one relationship to another? Then again, he found himself contradicting his own thoughts once more; the situation was somewhat exceptionally different wasn’t it? Ted was his mate: that was not a consideration one should just take and disregard as they pleased.

Of course, despite knowing that he was acknowledging that he was Ted’s mate and some of the urges and such that happened between two beings joined in such a way, he didn’t know everything to do with it precisely. Like, what would happen to him if he was away from Ted for too long? What would happen if he and Ted were apart for the next full moon if Cody didn’t have the chance to get to the pack’s manor—and that was something he couldn’t get over: just how rich was Chris?

Shaking his head slightly to dispel all of the questions, Cody then moved into the living-room once more and then headed across to the couch. He was hungry but in no mood to cook after the travelling and so he decided to be decadent and order out to eat once more. Whilst waiting for the food he turned the TV on; he’d never liked silence, but it seemed more-so since his two-day stint at the manner he had come to be maid even more uneasy about it. However, he was just spooking himself unnecessarily due to everything that had happened.

The ravenette answered the door when his food came and paid, before then sitting down to eat. Disposing of the rubbish he returned to the couch once he had finished. He had neither unpacked what he had taken with him to the manor, nor had he packed up his belongings in the flat. It seemed so… disrespectful and cruel to consider doing anything before speaking to Drew though. He might not love him the way that he loved Ted but he did care about his feelings and he wasn’t a naturally cruel or heartless person and he wasn’t about to portray himself as one. Without realising Cody would end up falling asleep on the couch before long.

~:~

By the time he arrived home Evan had proceeded to get himself thinking uneasy and jumbled thoughts that were probably way off of the mark; although their species was still quite rare it was not uncommon to come across others of their kind now and again. Maybe he was just so thrown-off by it because it hadn’t happened in so long, more-so than Justin’s strange “looking-for-snacks-whilst-being-in-Blockbuster thing. Opening the door with one hand and easily supporting his purchases with the other, Evan called, “Chris, I’m home!” even though he’d best his Xbox that Chris already knew that he was back as soon as his car had been heading down the long, isolated dirt-road towards their mansion home. Almost immediately Chris exited the room several doors down, moving towards him. The smile on his lover’s face made Evan’s heart soar no matter how many times he saw it—Chris was always so delighted to see him, but sometimes the other could worry himself greatly that something had happened to Evan whenever he went out alone. Evan immediately leant up for a kiss.

Wrapping his arms around the smaller man Chris all but lifted him off of his feet with the force of the kiss. Chris set Evan down again after several long moments but didn’t release him, nuzzling his lover softly. Stilling slightly at the action, Chris then pulled back. There was a small spark of reflexive fury and jealousy sparked in Chris’ eyes as he caught the unfamiliar scent, but Evan had been expecting that and so merely kept still as Chris scented him again. “Who—“Chris started but Evan merely pecked his cheek and eased from the hold before heading into the kitchen to unpack the things he had brought. “His name was Justin and apparently he was just passing through the area. He seemed very nervous… but that may have been because he’s in claimed territory and our scents are all over.”

“Wait—wait—“Chris was immediately behind him, “Tell me about this person.” Knowing that his stubborn lover wouldn’t let the issue go until he had told all Evan began to talk about the South-African he had run into in the store. By this point it was getting on and Evan supposed he should get on with dinner for the pair of them. Although they shared household chores between them Chris was not overly adept in the kitchen the same way that Evan was not overly adept with fixing things and so they subconsciously allocated those jobs to themselves for convenience. Soon, Evan had some stir-fry on the go because it was swift and convenient to make—they didn’t often have a lot of energy when the moon phase had passed, but they’d be back to normal before too long. Soon the pair of them moved off the conversation of Justin and onto other things. Normal things.

~~~

Exiting the Blockbuster a few minutes after Evan, Justin bypassed any of the cars parked nearby and headed further down the road to a non-descript looking black vehicle that was idling, as though waiting for someone. Behind the driver’s seat there lounged a tall man with jet-black hair that was slicked back into an unmovable style, dark eyes being off-set by a strong jaw and brooding expression. However, when the South-African got closer to the car his nervous demeanour changed, gaining a little more confidence. The movements were subtle, but it seemed that the figure in the car noticed because a smirk tugged at the previously disdainful lips the man possessed. Justin opened the door neatly and settled himself in the passenger-side seat. He didn’t bother with a seatbelt and the other man barely waited until the door had closed before beginning to drive. Neither spoke for several long moments, barely even acknowledged one another until they managed to find a secluded pull-in on the road.

Almost immediately the taller, light-skinned man all but hauled the small South-African into the back-seat and took his mouth in a rough kiss that bruised him lips almost immediately. However, the small man didn’t seem to mind it even slightly because he moaned and clutched at the larger man’s shoulders in bliss as he kissed back with an equal passion. It seemed that he was actually enjoying it, and that these two had an intimate knowledge of one another. “You stink.” The taller man growled when the kiss broke, inhaling at the air with an obvious intent. “So, was it him?” this man appeared to be of English descent, the accent thick and gravelly. The South-African’s slightly standoffish demeanour had died, and the angelic face morphed into a positively devilish look as he pulled the card that the other werewolf had given him and drew the edge along the other man’s cheek. “Mhm, that was him, Wade.” He reported, handing the card over.

“Well done, Angel.” Justin giggled at the nickname because it was a joke amongst their pack that Justin was far from that. On that note he licked the small paper-cut he had caused to Wade’s smooth-shaven cheek, tasting the coppery-tang on blood upon his tongue. Wade growled softly as his eyes scanned the words printed upon the card. “Hm… So it is him after all then.” The name Chris Jericho was pretty infamous after all, whether you were the same as they or not. However, Wade would never forget that name for as long as he drew breath… because Chris was the reason that he had been suffering for so long. A sudden bite to his earlobe had his eyes closing and his body convulsing softly. “Y’cheeky little bitch.” The Manchester native chastised in a manner of gruff fondness and arousal.

That term could be derogatory or affectionate term, but either way it was rarely used.

“Gonna punish me, Wade?” Justin cooed, finding himself then being flipped so that he was knelt between Wade’s legs as the other man smirked and fisted a hand in his hair. “Oh Angel, I’m going to make you see right later—but fer now get that mouth o’ yours into gear and do what yer good at.” Whereas someone else might have been offended by such a thing Justin wasn’t; he knew that he had talents and he wasn’t afraid to use them, but especially not where Wade was the one he was using them for. In their pack, unlike the one they were currently scoping none of them had mates. Well, not official mates anyway because that complicated the mechanics of the more progressive packs like the one that they resided within. Wade’s low growling of pleasure soon filled the car as Justin took him into his mouth, using his tongue in just the way Wade went wild with pleasure upon experiencing… something Justin had no doubt intended to do. Whilst they might not be mates specifically the two of them were pretty possessive and protective of one another; but that also could have been because he and Justin had been all but raised from childhood together by Wade’s deceased father, and their current sub-alpha, Edge.

It didn’t take long for Wade to reach a completion, having had to put such activities on-hold that morning when they had finally realised that they had reached the right place for the one man Wade had been searching for since he had been old enough to assume his rightful heritage as pack-alpha from Edge. Edge had been the stand-in until Wade had been old enough because the senior members (Matt and Jeff) had not agreed to let him resume total control. Vaguely Wade remembered Chris, though the recollection was only somewhat stronger than a normal human child’s might have been because of his honed senses—Chris had once been his father’s right hand man, that much he knew, and apparently he had some connection with the sudden, untimely death of his father. Wade had never known exactly what had happened to his old man, because no one had ever told him anything more than it was some sort of sickness which his body should have recovered from, but didn’t.

“Are we going back now?” Justin asked as Wade’s attention returned to the card in his hand. “Yeah.” Wade said absently, caressing Justin’s dark head before giving his backside a sharp slap that had Justin yipping as he climbed back into the front seat. “So…” Justin asked when they were back on the road once more. “How did you even know he was there?” Wade sighed, “The bastard might not perform anymore but he’s still got some cash that he can throw around if needs be and as such he’s gained a notoriety in this area… though I must admit it’s much quieter than I was expecting.” He then had Justin explain his encounter with Evan from the beginning. “Hmmm…” the dark skinned man cocked his head to the side, “What are you thinking?” though truth be told he was sure he already had some idea.

“I was just wondering what this man must be to him. Did he have other scents on him?” Justin’s nose wrinkled as he tried to think back. “There were at least three on him.” He finally settled with, “One stronger as opposed to the other and so I’d guess that he must have been one of those fools who saddled himself down with one mate.” They had been driving for a good long while now into another town some distance from the little one Evan and Chris resided in, stopping before a pretty lavish looking hotel. Parking the car Wade and Justin exited before heading up to the suite that they were staying in for the foreseeable future.

Opening the door revealed a lavish room (sometimes being a werewolf had some merits when it came to extended finances) and three men were within it. One had longish dark hair tied in a ponytail, the one sitting next to him sporting some similar features and a similar hairstyle, but his hair was a myriad of dyed shades. Lounged across one of the large beds in the room was a man with wavy shoulder-length hair and some stubble of matching colour. As soon as the other two entered all three looked up, each one of them seeming barely interested in the arrival though both Wade and Justin knew it was exactly the opposite in true-fact. “What happened?” the blonde –Edge- asked.

Wade tossed the card across the room without responding verbally, heading to the mini-bar to fix himself a drink. Justin, as per usual, followed him after giving a wink to the rainbow haired man by the window. Edge seemed to recognise the scent, though faint, of his old pack-brother Chris, though there was another scent mixed in much stronger over it. How strange… Chris had always sworn that he would never settle down because such commitment was just not something that he had in him. “So…” he regarded Wade and the others, “Now that it seems we have some sort of lead what are we going to do?” they had to proceed cautiously only in the sense of facing another pack… though each of them was truly arrogant in their own right to believe they could take down another pack; especially the old-fashioned ‘one-mate-for-life’ types that bound themselves much too closely together.

Wade finished making his drink before replying, as if mulling the thought over. “I say, we take Chris out and with him gone, the rest of the pack will fall in line. You know how these things work Edge. Once the leader is challenged and loses, the winner by definition is the new leader of the pack...”

“And I remember the pack a little better than you do,” interrupted Edge. “Like I keep saying, I doubt very much that anyone’s going to let either of us walk in there and just present a challenge. And even if that were the case, they might choose to walk away when we win.”

“They’re either with us or against us,” returned Wade, eyes fixed on Edge as he took a gulp of his drink. “And if they’re against us, they’re rogue. And when the territory’s mine, we won’t be tolerating rogues.”

“Ours,” corrected Edge, although he had to admit that he was rather impressed by Wade’s single-mindedness. He’d always known the man to be pretty ruthless, but since they had decided it was about time they stopped talking about it and actually acted, a whole new side of him had come out. 

Wade shrugged, not agreeing but not bothering to argue either. “And I’m not going to just walk in there next full moon and say, ‘Hey Chris, remember me? Let’s see who’s the real leader of the pack!’ We’re stacking our deck, any way we can.” He finished his drink and handed the glass to Justin. “Make me another. Let’s go over what we know already, I don’t want any balls-ups.” His eyes fixed momentarily on Jeff, who shot him a rather insolent grin before moving over to the bed where Edge was already sat. Jeff’s brother Matt was immediately on his tail, both men sitting cross-legged at the end of the bed, in their similar behaviours looking more alike than ever. Wade rested himself against the headboard, near Edge but not actually touching him, the positions more a mark of their authority – Edge may have kept the pack under control until Wade was old enough and savvy enough to take over, but he was still very much a leader and someone Wade looked to for guidance on occasion, not that he would ever admit it. Drink in hand, Justin settled himself on the edge of the bed, close to Wade’s legs, passing the other his drink. Wade shot a glance at the younger man as he took the glass, a slight smirk playing on his lips. He had promised to take care of Justin later and he could smell that the other hadn’t forgotten that, but he would just have to wait. And the anticipation would make the event that much sweeter; they might call him Angel sometimes but in reality, Justin was anything but...

He focused at the matter at hand. “We know for sure now that Chris set up his base of operations here, not long after he... took over the pack. He retired maybe three years ago and now he’s not exactly mister sociable. After my dad died and me, Edge and Justin took off, there wasn’t so much a pack as a pair – our second little problem, Randy Orton.” Leaning to a sheath of papers on the bedside table, he leafed through them until he found a couple of pictures familiar to them all. The first was of Chris Jericho, rock star, shirtless in faded jeans. There was a microphone in his hand but he wasn’t singing, apparently the photographer had caught him between numbers and he was looking to one side, grinning at something out of shot. There were thousands of pictures of Chris but Wade seemed to favour this one as the one that they were most likely to recognise him from. Probably because it was relatively recent, from his last ever tour and not long after cutting off the long hair that changed his look in many other photos. The second picture was currently in all the high-end ladies magazines and not a few of the men’s too, the main focus being a well-muscled young man giving a direct, predatory stare at the camera, tattooed arms raised above his head, hands out of shot but the wrists apparently crossed and definitely giving the illusion of being restrained. The bottom of the page cut off just beneath sharp hipbones, the suggestion of total nudity. The implication of course, was that the act of buying this product would immediately turn the average man into this fine specimen of the species... or to women, that buying their boyfriend this product would turn him into this fine specimen of the species. 

Wade’s attention remained firmly on Chris’ picture, a snarl of derision on his face. But Edge’s attention occasionally wandered to the picture of Randy – which Justin knew was odd, given what had happened just before they left. He would have thought that Edge was just as keen to take Chris down and not quite so worried about Randy. Although he had to admit, letting his eyes go to the picture of Randy, that was a helluva nice torso.

Noticing where Justin’s attention had gone, Wade bristled slightly and continued. “But since we left, they’ve had a couple of new additions. Our uh, spies discovered that Orton’s living with some schoolteacher—“This said in the same tone as a werewolf typically reserved for ‘vegetarian’. Going through the pictures, he pulled out a picture of John, apparently taken from a distance with a zoom lens; the man was apparently about to get into his car but turned away from it, giving a wide dimpled smile to whomever or whatever had caught his attention. Wade dropped it – rather deliberately Justin thought – on top of the picture of Randy. “We’re pretty sure he’s one of the pack, since he lives with Randy but none of us can get close enough to get a good smell, because if we can smell him you can bet your life he’ll smell us too.” Jeff and Matt both seemed to find this amusing, chuckling to themselves and shifting slightly closer to one another, apparently unconsciously. Wade tried not to sigh. He didn’t regret turning Jeff, whom he’d met because the younger brother liked to walk on the wild side and Wade had needed strength of numbers, someone who would give unflinching loyalty to the pack. But with Jeff came Matt and the two seemed to share a closeness with each other that they did with no one else in the pack. They were brothers and all, true, but the whole pack was supposed to be a brotherhood, if one with benefits, and he thought he was right to be a little concerned that they might be more worried about each other than the good of the pack, if it came down to that. 

“Theodore DiBiase, a certainty.” Wade removed another picture and threw it onto John’s, this one showing Ted and John together, apparently part of the same series of pictures as the main one of John. Ted was smiling in a slightly more reserved way, John almost out of shot. “He doesn’t always spend the full moon with the pack and let’s just say, people have talked about seeing a big dog around the neighbourhood and his house has a really, really big dog flap.” He chuckled slightly. “Currently AWOL. On extended leave of absence from his work, apparently he upped stakes and took off one day. Probably something to do with this guy...”

The last picture was a stark contrast to the others in that it was neither from a magazine or a distance, showing a smiling Cody with a can of beer in one hand, leaning back on a couch and looking directly at the camera. “Cody Rhodes. Another one we can say for sure is a werewolf. Not part of the pack, he spends his evenings running around alone in farmlands and fields near his flat, but he’s in the territory and as such, he’s answerable to whoever’s the pack leader in that territory.”

Edge nodded, but there was some impatience to it. They’d been over the who a hundred times, but Wade continued to try to drill it into them, like they still needed it. “Aren’t we missing someone? This Evan, the guy Justin ran into. Who’s he?”

Wade shook his head slowly. “No idea. If he’s a pack member, and we’ve gotta assume he is, then he’s been keeping a low profile. But we can get a few things on him.”

Matt tilted his head. “How?”

“He’s still in the area after the full moon. He was renting DVDs for fucks sake. He obviously either lives here or he’s staying with Chris for a while. And if he’s in the area then someone’s gonna know his real name, something about him. We can maybe ask a few questions to the right people.”

Edge gave a smirk that was far from pleasant. “Chris has a mate.”

“And a mate is a weakness.” Wade looked around the entire pack, who were nodding in agreement; it was a common thought that Wade vocalised often. No mates for their pack, they were far too progressive for such outdated notions. Share and share alike was more like it, the pack was a group committed only to one another, no outside influence, no need for anyone but each other. “A weakness we can make use of.” 

Justin hesitated. “I thought the whole point of challenging the leader was that it’s a fight to see who was the best to lead?”

“And it is.” Wade looked back at Justin, far from pleased to have his methods questioned, he was going to have to reprimand the other. But later, in private. “Someone whose mate’s welfare comes first is not fit to lead any pack. I’m just proving that.” 

“And exploiting it,” added Edge, although he didn’t sound as though this was a criticism. “If this man is really Chris’ mate – what’s he like Justin?”

“About five-nine maybe, maybe a bit smaller. “ Justin frowned slightly as he thought about it. “He was suspicious of me, but friendly. He got out a werewolf film.”

“Definitely doing that for Chris,” said Edge. “He loves those stupid stereotypes.” 

“The mysterious Evan.” Wade smirked, his mind ticking over. He was quiet for several minutes, Edge and Justin remaining quiet too, although Jeff got bored after about a minute and instigated a thumb wrestling contest with Matt. Matt, the more serious of the pair, would indulge his brother in anything and once again Wade was jerked from his thought process, glaring at the two and waiting for them to subdue.

“Why do we even want these guys in the pack?” asked Matt, trying to pretend he and Jeff had actually been sitting to attention. “Once Chris is gone, why not just take the territory and run them off it?”

“Because you run someone off the territory, you never know when they’re gonna come back hell-bent on revenge.” Wade’s expression was dark. “And it does no harm for us to expand the pack a little. These guys are already werewolves, we might as well harness them now. Once Chris is out of the way, they’ll come to see the new order. Anyway—“He picked a picture from the pile, John’s. “Who wouldn’t want a piece of that?”

“I think you’re underestimating the whole ‘mate for life’ mentality,” said Edge dryly. “You’ll never get a piece of that if Randy doesn’t want you to. Trust me on this.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot that you and Randy had a past.” Wade smirked at Edge’s sudden scowl. “Still got a soft spot for him? Or a hard spot?” 

“Funny man.” Edge glanced at the part of Randy’s picture that was showing. “That was before he decided to stay behind instead of sticking with us. I don’t give a shit either way. Might be payback though, show him why he made the wrong choice.”

“And he was just some dumb kid back then, never your mate,” said Wade, needling Edge further. But Edge didn’t seem to be rising to it and Wade let it go, he had more important things to think about. 

“We need to find out more about Evan.” He looked down at Justin again. “That’s job number one. Out of all of the pack, he’s the one who can be of the most use to us, willingly or not. The less confidence the pack has in its leader, the easier it is for us to take advantage once we take him out, that’s job number two.” 

“And how are you planning that?” There was a slightly derisive tone to Edge’s voice.

“I’ve got a few things up my sleeve.” Wade held his empty glass out to Justin, who obediently got up to make him another drink. “We need to monitor the pack, make some kind of contact.”

“They’ll all run off to Chris and that’s the element of surprise gone,” returned Edge. 

“I don’t think it does any good to do it right away. We have to think of the right time, the right circumstances.” Wade took a sneaky sideways glance at Justin’s ass as the other bent over the mini-bar. “That’s why we’ve got the wannabe’s in the wings.”

“Yeah, about that.” Edge raised an eyebrow at Wade, waiting for the other to turn his attention back to him. “Do you really think it’s a good idea for Punk to be dealing with the human? You know how he feels about them, one wrong word and he’ll go for the jugular. Literally.”

“He’ll do fine.”

“He’s a loose cannon.”

“But useful.” Wade shrugged. “I know how much Punk hates humans, I’m aware that he’s a man who’d turn half the world and eat the other half. But at least he grudgingly respects a human who wants to better himself by becoming one of us. He’s under instructions to behave himself. Punk keeps this guy sweet, we get more information. And,” he grinned a little. “We have at least one of the pack right where we want him.”

Justin brought the third drink to Wade and immediately repositioned himself at the leaders side again. “I could talk to Evan,” he said unexpectedly. “I mean, leave it a couple of days because I said I was only passing through but yeah. If I said I was on my way back and was curious about his pack, then I think he’d talk to me. He seemed kinda isolated.”

“Chris has been keeping him hidden, he will be,” said Edge.

Wade nodded. “That could work, but you’ll have to get some kind of story straight because he’ll be just as interested in you as you are in him. And he might even have Chris with him.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “If he is, stay away. You were only a pup but he might still recognise the scent. It hasn’t changed that much.”

“Evan didn’t recognise my name,” said Justin, sounding a little aggrieved. “Maybe Chris forgot about me. He barely knew either of us, since your dad didn’t expose us to the pack.” 

“True.” Wades memories of Chris would have been sharper had his father been ready to let them get involved in pack life – however, it hadn’t happened that way. He had been sheltered from it, as had Justin and when he had died, authorities had sent the pair of them to some distant relatives living in the country rather than back to England. Relatives who hadn’t been pleased to see Wade and his adopted brother, having never even met them previously. Wade’s grandparents, with whom he had spent most of his summers (carefully timed around the moons phases) and partly explained his retention of his thick North-England accent, had been in the process of having Wade transferred to their custody, but Justin hadn’t been a part of the equation and Wade already knew that as soon as he was gone, then Justin would be fostered and that was bad. Both of them had been born full werewolves, the reason Wade’s father had adopted Justin in the first place and it wouldn’t take much for them to be exposed for what they were. They couldn’t really hide it. But it had turned out to be a moot point, because Edge had made his unsuccessful bid at leadership and upon leaving the pack, come for them. Wade had made the choice to join him for both of them.

“I don’t want to take chances though,” he added. “Chris might have decided it was suspicious already, if he does remember. You hear anything off in Evan’s voice, you’ll hang up on him right away. Got it?” 

Justin nodded eagerly. “I got it.” 

“Good.” Wade downed his drink in one gulp and stood. “Punk’ll check in tomorrow, we’ll find out what he knows and plan the rest of the strategy – although I’ve already got some good ideas for the rest of the pack. Come the next full moon, Chris’ll be out. I think I’ll have him answer a few questions first though. About what happened to my father.” 

“What if he just doesn’t answer?” asked Jeff, rolling onto his back and letting his feet hit the floor. 

“He will. I know his weakness, remember.” Wade slammed his glass on the side. “In the meantime, I’m takin’ one of the other rooms. Justin. Heel.”

Both of Edge’s eyebrows rose at this. “Didn’t you get enough of him last night? Playing favourites or something?” 

“I owe him for earlier,” replied Wade, slightly put out by the observation. “And if any of you guys were as good with your mouths as him, I might be playin’ favourites with you too.” He walked from the room, making a mental note to bed one of the brothers the next morning so comments like that weren’t repeated – they were supposed to be above all that old-fashioned mate-for-life stuff and he didn’t want to give the impression he preferred one over all others. They always took at least two rooms in hotels because the beds were small for six, but maybe he should arrange to bring the bed from the second room to the first (themselves moving it, of course) and tell housekeeping to keep the fuck out while they were there. Just to keep peace within the pack, of course.


	9. Chapter Eight: Business Meetings With A Punk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cody gets a bad feeling and doesn't realise how right his gut-instinct is, blind-sided by developments with Ted. The rest of the pack adjust to being back in their separate homes. However, a strange visit to one of the pack certainly makes them leery.

From the low light of the streetlight across the street from his apartment complex Drew watched as the lights were soon clicked off, a low light symbolising that Cody must be in the living-room. A slight frown touched the Scottish man’s lips before he turned back towards the man who he had been with for the past week on his ‘business trip.’ Oh, it was nothing like that, no, he hadn’t been cheating on Cody… though according to the short-haired, piercing sporting man before him the other hadn’t been nearly as faithful to him. The man partially standing in shadow with short hair and bandages woven artistically around his hands with black crosses drawn upon the back, smirked to himself as he watched the feeble human they had decided to “try out” for a chance to join their pack looking to the photo that he had handed him. The image was of Cody, smiling brightly, arms curled around the arm of a man he didn’t know who was smiling subtly in adoration to the other.

“So… he’s one of you, right?” Drew asked, unimpressed, disliking the positively nauseating adoration in Cody’s eyes captured perfectly on-camera somehow. “Yes.” CM Punk (more commonly known as Punk, which suited him considering his attitude) responded without hesitation considering that no one would believe this human if he tried to out any of them, because humans didn’t believe werewolves existed and everyone would just think he was crazy. That was if Punk let him live long enough to do such a thing; he had promised that he’d behave when Wade had told him to, but one fuck up on this man’s part and then he’d rip his throat out. “And Cody… are ya sure Cody’s one?” Of course the weird behaviour matched what Punk had told him when the other had approached him, finding that Drew had always had an interest in the supposedly fabled creatures from attacks in the news that just hadn’t made sense, but he was still struggling to believe that Cody was a werewolf. If it hadn’t been for the fact that this Punk man had destroyed a junk-car before him with his bare-hands, and had a temper worthy of only a wild-beast beneath the calm exterior, then Drew would have thought Punk was insane. But… the man had a way with words, and ever since he had chatted with the man he had found himself heading off to meet his ‘pack’.

It had been a surreal experience and even now he wasn’t sure whether he had just dreamt the entire thing. However, with the photo in his hand he couldn’t very well deny that Cody had some sort of connection with this man—and that didn’t sit too kindly with Drew at all. “So… What d’ya need me fer?” he asked, and Punk fought the urge to sneer; they didn’t need this man at all, he was just a convenience that they could use. They had targeted him since finding out he was involved with the young Rhodes upon discovering Rhodes had the connection to DiBiase who in turn had a connection to their main target: Chris Jericho. Now, Punk and Edge went way back, Punk never having actually settled to any pack for a long time until he had figured that he quite liked the way Wade’s group worked for the main—he didn’t agree with their drinking and shit, but he was more than keen on their ruthless manner. Adopting his most charming smile and kind voice Punk soothed, “We don’t need you yet, but we just thought you should know—this hound is trying to muscle in on your boy.” They were feeding him lines, keeping him incensed enough to keep spying on Cody for them, “You can’t let him do that, can you?” Drew shook his head, jaw setting tightly with anger. Punk knew he had him now and reeled him in a little bit further, “When you’re one of us then we can fix it so that you can take the boy outta the picture.” However, as far as Punk was concerned, this man was never going to become one of them. He was nowhere near good enough for it.

Sending the human to his parents’ home a bit later, Punk then sneered and pulled a bottle of Pepsi out of his jacket pocket, snapping the cap and taking a drink. He wouldn’t leave enough scent to alert Cody to his presence, and something told him that this one was too wet behind the ears to consider much of a threat in finding him anyway. Stowing his drink away again he then began heading to his parked rental car.

Dropping the car back at the shop Punk then caught the bus to a nearby out-of-the-way-spot before then beginning to run. The full moon was the time when they had to change, but when they were as easy-going about their situation as his progressive pack were they didn’t siphon the urges to the phases of the moon solely: they could change themselves at will. Punk had stripped behind the covering of some bushes, shoving his clothing into a bag that he had on even when he had changed. Running like this would mean that he would reach his pack brothers much sooner than driving as a human and truth be told he wanted to get away from that infernal human and spend time around his own kind. Also, well, he was feeling in the need of company, as it were, and didn’t think that he could wait much longer. Being around humans for extended periods of time pushed him to the surface and Punk knew Wade wouldn’t argue his returning because although he was less-zealous about them attacking humans as opposed to the less-progressive packs he didn’t need to have a few bodies leading a bloody trail to him; being sent to prison would completely ruin his straight-edge lifestyle and that would never do. He arrived in the town as the sun rose the bright pink hue of the sky much clearer out there in the sticks then it was in the city. Using his nose he found the hotel where the others were staying and entered to find their room and join them.

~~~~

“Home sweet home.” John sighed softly as he and Randy settled in their comfortable living-room after having gone out for dinner together, the pair of them now sitting on the couch together with a bottle of beer in their hands. Randy had his other arm around John’s shoulders and John was resting atop his lover’s thigh in turn. Although they were a tactile couple they didn’t feel the need to go over the top when they were alone—and just often did it around Chris, Evan and Ted just because he knew that it at least embarrassed Evan and Ted; those two were just so innocent sometimes despite themselves. Randy turned his head to look at his mate as he sensed the slight melancholy in the other’s tone. Leaning in he pressed a kiss to John’s neck, licking the sensitive skin gently in a tender gesture. “What’s up?” John’s brow furrowed momentarily as he seemed to consider what he was going to say before he responded, “Nothing really, I’m just feeling a bit… out of sorts now that it’s just us again.” He tried to explain.

That was something he understood: their pack was close and even though they had only spent a few days together so far this month it was still enough for them to feel the slight wrench that parting from one another gave them, a leftover from the earliest packs wherein they lived together all the time. Chris only insisted that they stay in the manner around the full moon, but none of them minded since he let them do as they wanted when they were in control of themselves and their instincts—which was something that would never have happened in the past. “We’ll see them again soon.” He promised. John smiled slightly and kissed Randy’s lips fleetingly. “Thanks babe.” He said. Randy then waggled his brows slightly and rumbled seductively, “If you really wanna thank me why don’t we take this elsewhere?” John arched a brow, “You want to do it again?” he asked. Randy seemed momentarily confused, “You complaining?”  
“No.” John said shrugging, downing the last of his beer, “It’s just you could barely walk coming outta the car when we got home after stopping off so I thought—“he was shut up by Randy’s lips covering his, his lover pulling him upstairs. They kissed passionately, pushing one another into the wall without intention to hurt, just to playfully show off for the other and in their ardour.

When Randy bit down with moderate pressure against the faded scar that was somewhat visible upon John’s throat, just underneath his Adam’s-apple, John moaned lowly; the vibrations of which Randy felt against his lips. Pulling his mouth back just slightly he growled softly, “Keep moaning for me like that John-John and I’m not gonna make it to our bedroom.” John’s hands caressed the back of his neck and over his shoulders, pulling him closer, “When does that usually stop you?” they stumbled up a few more steps, this time clothing being pulled off in the process, “It doesn’t.” Randy admitted before giving a deviant smirk, “I just don’t want you doing your old-man bitching about how the stairs hurt your back and how you’ve got carpet burns.” He turned and darted for the bedroom, John giving chase.

~~~~

Cody awoke in the middle of the night feeling disoriented and uncertain; wondering why he was in the living-room (his and Drew’s living-room) and not with Ted. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his phone, bringing up Ted’s name and bringing up a blank message. Just as he tapped out a small message to the other he paused before sending it; what if the other was asleep and this message woke him up or something? However, he was missing the other greatly and so just decided to send it after adding an apology for the other if he did happen to be waking him with it. Sitting up he wondered whether he should even go to the big bed in the bedroom considering that he was going to be de-facto breaking up with Drew in a short time and so it seemed somewhat inappropriate. There was a part of him though that couldn’t help wondering whether Ted would be jealous about him sleeping in Drew’s bed even if the other wasn’t in the bed with him.

As he was so lost in his debating he didn’t realise that his phone was in fact buzzing with an incoming call on the couch besides him. Picking it up he startled slightly when he realised that it was Ted. “Hello?” he answered, immediately feeling at peace when Ted’s southern twang sounded down the line. “Baby-boy, what are you doing awake this late?” biting his lip slightly Cody asked, “Did I wake you?” from where he was tucked up in his bed at his own home, Ted shook his head—and then remembered that Cody couldn’t see the action through the phone and so verbally responded with, “Nah, not really, I was just nodding off when I got your message.” Waving off Cody’s apology Ted assured the other that talking to him was worth missed sleep. “So,” Ted asked, “Is something wrong, or can you just not settle?” Cody had often had times when he just couldn’t sleep, for various reasons.

Exhaling softly Cody’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know, Teddy. I was asleep, and I just woke up just now and—“he rubbed the back of his arms, seeing strong goosebumps had risen upon his tanned flesh. “I just got a really weird feeling now, y’know? Like when you have one of those random shivers for nothing.” A slight smile touched Cody’s lips as he waved off his own concerns as disorientation from being on the couch as opposed to a bed to sleep, “And I miss you.” Ted felt his heart swell at the words as he had been personally wondering whether Cody being back in his home might convince him to change his mind about everything out of a duty to this human. “You miss me? I miss you too baby.” Cody laughed softly, resting his head on the back of the couch. “Glad to hear it.” When Ted suddenly asked him if he could ask him something that had been on his mind for a while, Cody nodded. And then, his eyes widened as Ted’s voice sounded crystal clear through the wire, “Will you move in with me?”

~~~~

“Evan—“Evan turned from where he was sitting on the window-seat of the large bay-window in his and Chris’ bedroom as he heard his lover’s sleep-husky voice. There were no lights turned on save for the little torch Evan held in one hand to illuminate the book that he had propped open against his thighs and he sincerely doubted that it had been enough to wake the older man who had been sleeping soundly after the slow, gentle love-making they had indulged in several hours beforehand. “Yeah?” he whispered softly, placing his book-mark in to mark his place. “What are you doing awake, Puppy?” Chris pushed himself into a sitting position and squinted slightly in the dark until his eyes adjusted and he could make Evan out clearer. Evan sighed softly, shrugging, “I woke up wanting a drink and then when I came back to bed I couldn’t sleep.” Chris extended a hand to the smaller man, low voice strong and soothing in the darkness as it gained some strength when he cleared his throat, “Come here Puppy.” Chris hated being alone in bed without the other.

Obediently Evan set his book aside on the seat and moved back to the large bed, his naked body immediately curling into Chris’ own as the larger man embraced him. “Is anything wrong?” Chris asked with admitted concern as Evan had seemed somewhat distant since he had returned from the shops after meeting this young werewolf. Something about the whole event had had Chris on alert for a reason that he himself had not completely figured out, but Evan had just said he was being silly and paranoid for no reason since they didn’t often get others of their kind in the area and had so let the matter drop. “No, nothing’s wrong.” Evan said gently, listening to Chris’ steady heartbeat underneath his ear, it pumping that touch faster than normal human heart-beats to keep up with their advanced senses and everything. “I just feel a little restless, and I miss everyone already, that’s all.” Chris sighed gently and pressed a kiss to his lover’s hair. “I’m sorry Puppy.” Evan turned his head slightly, confused, “What are you apologising for Chris?” Chris huffed softly, the way he always did when he was feeling embarrassed about something.

“I know I keep you here alone a lot and I know you get lonely and I can’t help but think I’m being selfish—“this was a conversation that they had had many times before and Evan kissed Chris’ lips to silence him before pulling the covers up a little higher as he snuggled into his lover some more, “Chris, I don’t need to be around people or going out all the time; I need to be with you and I don’t care whether it’s in a crowded city or out here in the quiet woodlands like this because all that matters is that I have you with me.” Chris’ hand ghosted the scar across the back of Evan’s thigh, a soft frown touching his lips at the fading, but still slightly raised scar. It was a leftover from one of the sleaze-balls who had pawed and abused his boy back when he had been little more than a helpless teenager. A leftover that had Chris even firmer about Evan being within his sight as much as possible.

“Stop frowning: you’ll get wrinkles.” Evan didn’t even have to open his eyes to know Chris was scowling because he could feel the tension within the other man, “Wrinkles?” Chris sounded so flabbergasted that Evan couldn’t help but giggle sleepily. “Yeah… even sexy ex-rock-gods like you can get wrinkles.” Chris couldn’t help feeling both amused and flattered as he watched as Evan steadily and slowly began heading back towards the land of the nod, “Do you think I’m sexy? Really?” Evan didn’t answer for a moment and Chris thought he was asleep before he then heard a murmured, “Wasn’t that from some sort of pop song?” and then, “Of course I do. You’re the handsomest, sexiest…” his words trailed off as Evan finally fell asleep. Chris watched the other for a few moments before laughing softly and shaking his head. Pushing everything from his mind as he held Evan close to get a little more sleep, Chris kissed the top of Evan’s head and whispered, “I love you, Evan.” Before closing his eyes and managing to fall asleep himself after several minutes of listening to Evan’s steady breathing.

 

~~~@@@~~~

Punk had been forced to change before he entered the hotel, becoming human in a convenient park in a grove of trees – he wasn’t always careful where he changed and at this time of the morning, anyone seeing him would probably be staggering home from a night of excess and put the vision down to some of the shit they’d stuffed into their bodies the night before. But Wade flipped out at his casual attitude to being known and for the moment, it suited Punk to humour him. As always for these kinds of trips, he’d carried a light pack with him, sleeveless shirt, combats, converse. Not that it would bother him to wander naked of course, but it seemed to bother humans. Uck, humans. To think he’d once been one. Humans were nothing but weak and Punk had never been able to stand weakness. One of the reasons he found himself able to live with this pack; they were low-tolerance on weakness too. 

It never failed to amaze Punk that certain packs would cling to some of the old traditions while abandoning others and while Wade’s pack were just as guilty of that, they at least kept the useful holdovers rather than the emotional ones. Their pack for example, continued to remain as a pack at all times, which had been an instinct since their kind had first been known of, when there was safety and understanding in numbers and the packs had lived largely away from humans, in the wild. They had however given up the antiquated notion of one mate for life, a holdover from when procreation had been limited to those within their pack. The urban build-up had been bad for them in some respects, but it made it a lot easier for them to travel and blend in. And also, to find those who might be an asset to their pack. In the old days, travellers got noticed, these days strangers were everyday. 

The pack that Wade had a grudge against had apparently gone in the other direction. They held on to the mate for life creed, something that Punk had never got – he’d never met many people he’d like to share bodily fluids with more than once, let alone forever. And it seemed so – so human, like the illusion of marriage under a different name, so hopelessly retro. Yet they’d left behind other ways, namely the pack as a group, together constantly, embracing the notion of individuality, and surely that was an influence of humanity too. He might have been a lone wolf for a long time, but this was mostly due to his wanderlust and lack of empathy with any of the packs he’d met before, but he respected Wade as an alpha in a way he would never respect Chris Jericho and his embracing of the human world he detested. He saw great things in Wade – but the kid was still damn young for an alpha and would need the correct guidance. Edge had supplied that to an extent, Punk planned to offer his own insights on life to the man. Just to help guide him right. 

Sauntering through the hotel, Punk gave an insolent smirk to the man on reception, who looked rather scandalised by the sight of the rather scruffy man in the lobby of the pricy establishment but didn’t challenge him – Punk had learned long ago that when one looked like they were supposed to be there, questions were rarely asked. He could smell the rest of the pack clearly, they’d taken the elevator but he chose the stairs, pausing on each floor until he caught their scent again. Thanks to the amount of time that he spent in his wolf form, his senses tended to be sharper than even the rest of the pack and he paused outside one door, tilted his head, smirked a little. There was no humour in the expression though. Wade was behind that door, sleeping, along with Justin. He could smell sex in the air, the faint tang of whisky sweated through pores (more human shit that they had no need of, but try telling the rest of the pack that). One could hardly describe Wade and Justin of having an exclusive relationship, much less a mate connection – they shared with the rest of the pack and it had been only the previous month that Punk had gotten to spend lunar heat with Justin (and what an experience that had been). But out of all of them, Wade tended toward Justin more than any of them, something that Punk considered a little troublesome. 

He passed the room without doing anything – he could hear the heavy breathing of both and knew he wasn’t about to get more than an irritated snap from the alpha if he disturbed them. Which was rather a shame, since he’d been thinking more and more about Justin, he was just in the mood for some of his eager need to please and wicked ideas. But it wasn’t as if there was no other choice and he stopped outside the door that reeked of the rest of the pack, Wade and Justin included. They had been there at some point the evening before, probably so Wade could go over more of his plans. Punk found plans rather tiresome, he would rather have just gotten this whole thing over with. While it was true that they were more powerful in their wolf forms during the full moon, they could change at any time and why not just take this Chris by surprise, while the rest of the pack was scattered? By all accounts he was something of a recluse and there was no reason they couldn’t continue to use the man’s funds and live in his grand house while they waited for the pack to reconvene there and then let them know that this territory was under new management. 

The door to the room was locked, his instinct was to simply break in but he managed to refrain and instead gave a light knock. It was too early for anyone to be really awake, they were by nature nocturnal but none of them slept while the moon was full and so soon afterward there was a lot of catching up done. Punk knew he’d probably end up crashing hard himself soon, but right then he still felt restless and fully intended to get it out of his system. Unfortunately, the person who greeted his knock was a rather bleary-eyed Jeff. “Punk? Thought you weren’t back until later.”

“Yeah, well.” Which wasn’t really an answer, but Punk didn’t care. Pushing his way into the room and shutting the door behind him, he surveyed what was going on. There was some very faint smell of sex in the air, the smell of drink was stronger though, even if he didn’t think that anyone in the pack had gotten blotto. Edge and Matt were still asleep beneath a pile of blankets, even though there was no love lost between them they did at least tolerate each other. About Edge, Punk was pretty neutral but he certainly didn’t like either Hardy brother. Not only were they creepily close, but he found them both far too erratic and unreliable. Still, his needs were what they were.

He stared at Jeff apparently impassively, but noticed that the other man testing his scent and smirking. The one thing they could never hide from each other was their hormones, because they could all smell baser emotions from a mile away.

“You stink,” he said bluntly. 

Jeff smirked, making a drinky-drinky motion with one hand, clearly knowing how it would infuriate the other. “You want some? Hold your nose.”

“Motherfucker.”

~:~

Ted hadn’t slept all night. He had been too busy sorting out a few things around the house, dealing with reconnecting electrical items, checking there was nothing damaged, airing out his sheets before he changed the bedding since they were a little musty after so long in storage and his nose wasn’t going to let him forget that. He had a shower, finished up with a huge internet shop to be delivered the next day since the cupboard was understandably bare, then crawled into bed expecting to sleep until noon, if there were no interruptions. Instead, his phone had signalled a text almost the moment he pulled the sheets around him and knowing that Cody was awake, had been unable to resist calling. He hadn’t intended to ask Cody to move in right then, by human standards it was ridiculously soon – but by werewolf standards, they were mates. And the moment had felt right. 

For long moments, he thought he had put his foot right in it. Cody was quiet and there was a part of him that wanted to retract his words, laugh it off, something that would make Cody feel okay about turning him down and leave Ted with a shred of dignity. Only he didn’t, because he knew Cody would see right through it and doing so would only trivialise the question that he had meant with all his heart. 

But then Cody replied, voice quiet but Ted could hear the smile in it. “I’d love to Ted. I really would.”

Ted let out a relieved laugh that might just have been a little shaky with relief; he never thought he’d get a second chance with the man but Cody had given him one, announced himself Ted’s mate and there was nothing at all that Ted wouldn’t do to make sure this time, he was worthy of his love. He was going to prove it every single day...

“But Ted,” Cody sounded a little hesitant to bring it up. “I need to stay here until Drew gets back. I need to tell him to his face before I come to you.”

Ted nodded, remembered that Cody couldn’t see him and spoke instead. “I know.” Cody was thoughtful that way, he never wanted to hurt anyone if he could help it. Which didn’t mean Ted wasn’t still somewhat jealous that Cody was sleeping in his soon-to-be-ex lovers house instead of his mates arms. “You do what you have to do.” And then the subject of Drew was forgotten as they both curled up beneath the covers in their respective rooms, making plans for the future. What started out as rather sensible talk about commutes and compromises soon became rather fanciful exaggerations about lifelong happiness and living out their every desire – both of them knew things wouldn’t necessarily go like that, but it was a night for sharing and dreaming. The sun was peering through the windows of Ted’s bedroom when Cody told him rather sternly that Ted had been mumbling and yawning for a while now and he needed to get some rest, not that he was the only one. Exchanging I love you’s, the phonecall ended and Ted placed his phone on the bedside table, closed his eyes and was asleep before he had time to think of anything else.

He was awoken merely four hours later by the sound of someone knocking at the door. He groaned, putting his head under the pillow, but whoever it was didn’t want to be ignored because the banging on the door resumed moments later. Ted moved from the bed, pulling on his jeans from the night before and stumbling sleepily into the hallway. The loud knocking resumed again and he rubbed at his eyes, leaving the jeans unbuttoned. “Alright, alright, I’m coming!” he yelled down the stairs, presumably being heard because the knocking abated. 

Going downstairs, Ted instinctively tried to smell who was at the other side of the door but the odour was unfamiliar, dulled by the barrier and oddly, tainted quite badly with a lot of deodorant. He didn’t see a shape through the bevelled glass either and he opened the door rather cautiously, checking around. There was no one there. Frowning, he sniffed around. No, whoever it had been had gone, leaving behind only their smell. Ted used deodorant obviously, but this person had practically bathed in it and it irritated Ted’s heightened senses. Opening the door wider, Ted checked the street but saw no one, not even a convenient neighbour who might have been able to tell him who was banging on the door... and considering the urgency and insistency of the knock, Ted would have thought they’d wait around for an answer. 

Well, maybe they didn’t hear me call, or it’s some kids playing a joke he thought to himself, but rather uneasily. The feeling Cody had spoken of the previous night, where he was unnerved for no apparent reason, was hitting Ted right then and he looked around, seeing no one, smelling no one – but concerned all the same. And exposed, stood in the doorway as he was. Swiftly he shut the door again, all thoughts of sleep wiped from his mind as he went to the kitchen. A part of him expected the knock to resume and then he’d catch whoever it had been, but they didn’t. Ted worried his lip slightly as he waited for the kettle to boil, wondering if he should track the scent and knowing that he was likely to find the trail ended at a point at the edge of some road, leaving only the smell of exhaust. But why anyone would want to lure him to the door for no reason bothered him. And why anyone would go out of their way to disguise their scent, no matter how inexpertly – unless they thought he could recognise them from it again. 

Which would suggest that someone knew what he was.


	10. Chapter Nine: Stirrings Of Old Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cody and Drew finally have a confrontation, and Cody gets one of his biggest surprises yet.

The soft morning sunlight was filtering through the opening in their curtains (left from Evan being sat at the window to read) provided Chris with an excellent backdrop on which to appreciate his sleeping lover. The covers had fallen down to Evan’s waist and exposed the strong torso Evan possessed, his lean hips exposed just slightly by the hem of the thick duvet. Evan was positioned on his front but slightly on his side, one hand curled underneath his head and the other slightly stretched in Chris’ direction—as though intending to keep the other close even in sleep. A soft, completely genuine smile touched Chris’ lips as he took in the heart-warming sight. Carefully, so as not to wake the other, Chris reached his hand out and traced his fingers along the exposed curvature of Evan’s spine.

The action caused Evan to undulate softly and subconsciously arch; giving out a quiet purring growl of pleasure before settling down, Chris holding his breath slightly as he waited for Evan to settle once more. He didn’t want the young man waking up yet because he was having too much fun with this little game. Once more his hand smoothed over Evan’s back and the smaller man murmured softly in his sleep before exhaling a sigh. Each time it seemed like the other would awaken Chris would stop his motions. After a few minutes Chris decided that he wanted to move their play on a little bit and gently eased Evan so that his small lover was resting on his back. The covers were tented, Evan aroused, and Chris grinned slightly wickedly because that was exactly how he wanted Evan for the next steps of his play.

Exposing his mate’s erection to the cool morning air of their bedroom Chris then leant down and ran his tongue over the length of Evan’s shaft. The action had Evan moaning softly, arching to get to Chris’ mouth once more even though he was only partially returning to consciousness with the action. When Chris sucked on the head of Evan’s member the other shuddered and jerked, eyelashes fluttering as his eyes opened; bleary chocolate coloured hues searching around to try and make sense of what he had been feeling in his sleep. “Oh, Chris!” Evan gasped, hands sliding down into his mate’s hair as the elder man continued to lick and suck upon his weeping length. The subtle touches had been stimulating Evan much more than the smaller man had realised, his dreams having factored into the reactions he experienced had made him incredibly aroused and sensitive. “Chris!” Evan groaned softly, biting his lip slightly as Chris sent him a mischievous look, mouth still around him.

It didn’t take long for Evan to cum, because Chris knew exactly what to do to send him over the edge without hardly any effort at all it seemed. As he slowly drifted down from his high Evan was more than happy to participate in the lazy, languid kiss that Chris bestowed upon him. “What did I do to deserve such a wake-up call?” the dark haired man murmured softly as he stroked Chris’ blonde-brown hair. The ex-rocker cocked his head to the side and then shrugged slightly before winking, “You just look so sinful when you’re losing yourself in the pleasure I give you.” Evan embarrassedly swatted at the other before then yawning softly behind his hand, “How about we have a bath together then or something since we’re up so early?” Arching a brow and pouting as Evan slid off of the bed, Chris then pretended to accuse, “You just want to see me all wet when I’m naked, don’t you?” Evan paused, then shook his head, “No—I want to see you naked and wet and covered in bubbles.” Chris began following the other to the bathroom, “Do we even have any bubble-bath?” Evan nodded, removing a bottle from the back of their medicine cabinet, “I keep it hidden in here—Randy’s such a fiend for bubble-baths I need to hide it or else I never get to use any!”

~~~~~~~~

Swigging from the bottle of water that he had in his hand, John paused at the corner of his and Randy’s street as though catching his breath. A jog around 30 streets was nothing to him, for obvious reasons, but he had to make some effort to look as though he was affected the same way as a human—the fact that he wasn’t even sweating that much was a give away in its own right. It was quite amusing to think that having sex with Randy had him sweatier and flushed than even the most ardent work-out in the gym. After a few moments he continued down the street and climbed up the steps that led to his and Randy’s home once he had travelled down their drive; their home wasn’t overly expensive, but it was private and they lived in a pretty affluent area. Checking the door –and finding that it was still locked as he had left it-- John then used his key to let himself in before then closing the door behind him and then heading up the stairs towards his and Randy’s bedroom. To his surprise though Randy wasn’t on the bed where he had left him.

Instinctively he started to panic before forcing himself to calm down and just take a minute to sense his mate—and even then after a moment he didn’t need to sense him because a curse came from the bathroom. Curious, John padded over to the bathroom and then opened the door. “Babe, you alright?” he asked as he poked his head around the door—and then his jaw dropped. There before him, in a pair of leather pants so tight it looked as though they were painted on, was his lover. His torso was naked, his intricate tattoos on full display.

Turning towards the sound of John’s voice Randy pouted heavily. “Ok, how ridiculous do I look in these?” Randy loved leather jackets, had several in fact, but he had always had an abhorrence (somewhat ironically) towards leather trousers because he thought that there was “nothing gayer” than someone in leather pants. Looking at the image of seduction before him John felt his mouth run dry and his gym shorts tightened considerably. “T-“John cleared his throat slightly to try and hide the waver in his throat as Randy returned to attempting to inspect himself in their bathroom mirror, “Those for a new shoot?” he asked curiously, Randy meeting his eyes in the mirror before nodding, “Ridiculously it’s for a cologne… I think the plan is that because I’m such a sexy beast no one’s gonna care about what that stuff smells like.” Moving up behind the other John wrapped his built arms around the taller man’s trim waist and admired the image of them both together the way that he couldn’t help but do.

“See now,” John shook his head, “I can’t allow this—“Randy’s brows rose and John sent him a dimpled grin in the mirror, “—these trousers are much too indecent.” Randy turned in John’s arms and grinned, “Oh, indecent?” John nodded and Randy curled his hand around the back of the other’s neck, “Indecent enough to make you wanna do bad things with me?” he asked, a devil-may-care smirk appearing on his face. Momentarily John wondered whether this was a trick question, but then realised that Randy was actually asking and grinned somewhat, “Ortz, I always wanna do bad things with you.” This time John felt himself being pulled in close to the (in his mind) scantily clad body of his mate before they indulged in a kiss. “Maybe you should take those off now,” John murmured, “—because if I recall rightly leather shrinks when it gets wet.” On that note John reached back and turned the shower on before beginning to strip. As Randy eased his substantial thighs from the tight material John knew that he was going to have to find some way to be present at this shoot to make sure that the crew members behaved themselves, as well as making sure Randy did: he was susceptible to flattery.

~~~~~

Slowly, Wade felt himself stirring back to consciousness. They could just snap right awake if they wanted to, but if they had no inclination to rush then they didn’t—even Wade was inclined towards lazy pursuits now and again. When his dark eyes registered the rather bright room (the curtains providing piss-poor protection from the sun) he looked down at the nubile, dark-skinned body lain out over his own. Justin’s lips were slightly parted, the younger man still snoozing away atop the strong wall of the British man’s smooth chest.

Seeing a couple of lingering bruises (that would be gone even before breakfast) Wade smirked slightly to himself; Justin had really been receptive to him last night, taking his punishment and begging for more the way that Wade knew he always would. He didn’t tolerate failures in his pack and was very serious about punishing transgressions (the way his dad had been) but he wasn’t one who would take the piss too far—just because the others were there now didn’t mean they couldn’t leave whenever they wanted to. Wade was well-aware of this, and although he wasn’t as overly touchy and emotional with his pack as the old packs were (like Chris would no doubt be with his) he wasn’t about to deliberately drive them away. He could tolerate them, they had the same sort of ideas and beliefs as him and so it would be cutting off his own nose to spite his face if he pissed them all off—in any serious manner anyway. They got at one another, of course they did, because that was what they did, they were close enough for that sort of banter despite how it might sometimes seem.

As though he was aware Wade was looking at him Justin slowly opened his eyes and smirked sleepily. “Mornin’?” Wade laughed softly; Justin was horrendous when it was first thing in the morning, especially if he’d had a good seeing to the night before. “Yes Angel, it’s morning.” He said, stroking the South African’s dark hair with a large hand, “Are you still sleepy?” he teased, then gasping slightly when Justin bit at his nipple lightly, “Don’t start already Angel, ‘cause I won’t hesitate to punish you here and now.”

Although Justin was tempted his stomach rumbled and alerted him to a more prominent need. Wade slapped Justin’s backside firmly with his hand as they both got out of bed, neither bothering with covering themselves up as they headed into the other room. Wade’s brows rose slightly as he saw Punk and Jeff involved in a very heavy snogging session—he was surprised to see Punk there, not having expected him back so soon, and also he knew Punk wasn’t overly fond of either Hardy. He must have been gagging for it when he got back. Justin gave a joking whistle, both men breaking their kissing to respond to the sound since they hadn’t anticipated the other two entering the room. “Punk!” Justin greeted, smiling; he wasn’t sure whether he liked Punk or not sometimes, because he found him tricky.

Punk’s returning smile was positively predatory and Wade noticed that Jeff looked momentarily pissed off at Justin stealing the attention before he realised that Matt was stirring on the bed and he was immediately at his side. “Angel,” Punk cooed after giving Wade a nod that could have been construed as respectful or mocking. “That Cody kid is back in the city now,” he reported, “-and I know that DiBiase is too.” Wade arched a brow in silent question and Punk snickered; tongue lightly fiddling with the piercing that he had through his lip, “Oh yes, our little meat-puppet is keen to keep in with our wishes so long as he ‘gets’ that Rhodes kid for good.” Justin, Punk and Wade all gave devious smirks: that already cemented that Drew was probably going to be removed from the equation entirely when they had gotten what they wanted, unless by some chance he got rid of this quasi-mate ideal—Edge apparently sensed a potential in him and that was why he’d been noted in the first place.

Giving a deliberate stretch (that drew Wade and Punk’s eyes) Justin mewled coyly, “Can we get breakfast now?”

Cody slept on the couch when he finally got off the phone to Ted – who, in his humble opinion, sounded more cute than anything when he was trying to fight sleep and making very little sense when he spoke. Of course, had he actually had Ted in front of him at the time, being exposed to that strong chest and beautiful face he might have reduced the ‘cute’ factor. It was this image that followed Cody into sleep and cemented his decision to sleep on the couch – he wouldn’t have felt right sleeping in the bed he shared with Drew when he was planning on leaving the man as soon as he returned. 

But when Cody woke, Drew hadn’t returned and Cody started to feel a little uneasy. Getting off the couch, he returned the blanket to its usual place and made himself coffee, strong but sweet, trying to get himself some kind of equilibrium. A week ago, he had been relatively contented with Drew, planning on staying right where he was, missing Ted but never really expecting to see him again, feeling lonely and isolated but like he could cope with those feelings. How things had changed. He had Ted back, he knew now that there were more people out there like them and in spite of his mixed feelings about taking orders from Chris, he was glad that he had other people he could talk to without having to hide his condition. He wasn’t a hundred per cent sure that he was doing the right thing in moving in with Ted, but he loved the man and was willing to give it a go. If he knew Ted, then the other man would be going all-out to prove that Cody had made the right choice; Ted was like that. Leaning against the counter, Cody gave a little smile as he considered the idea, sipping his coffee. Truth be told, although he had some reservations he really couldn’t wait. 

He finished his drink and went to shower and change, not wanting Drew to catch him still sleepy and unprepared. He had no idea how Drew was going to take the news. The Scotsman might make out like he didn’t care, or he might do everything in his power to change Cody’s mind, it was hard to tell with him since Drew was never predictable. That done, he grabbed a suitcase and started to pack his clothes. None of the furniture was his, actually very little in the place was. Cody hadn’t put down roots there and now he realised just why... but he didn’t want to be unfair to Drew, who had been good to him.

That he could fit most of his life into a suitcase and a rucksack was actually quite depressing. He had split the cost of some of the things they owned, the newish bed for example, but he didn’t want those things and he didn’t want the money back. Let Drew have them. There were his books, but he could go for those at a later date, or throw them in the car if Drew proved to be difficult, or even just leave them behind. They were replaceable. Apart from that there was just his laptop to worry about and he planned to spend the time until Drew arrived home getting on with some work. But unsurprisingly, he found it a little hard to concentrate. 

It was early evening by the time Drew got back, by which time Cody had made himself a sandwich, rather uneasily – he was starting to feel like a guest in this place, now that he had decided to leave it. When he heard the key in the door he jumped a mile, replacing the half-eaten sandwich on his plate, suddenly not hungry. When Drew walked in, looking rather handsome with his hair tied back, a few loose tendrils escaping it’s bonds, Cody gave a smile that he could feel right away was over-bright. Drew returned it, looking a little puzzled but apparently disregarding it as he went over to Cody and leaned over. Cody thought he was going to get a kiss on the cheek, instead Drew pressed a chaste but rather lingering kiss to his lips, fixing Cody with his gaze as he pulled away. Cody was too surprised by the action to react much. He could smell Drew’s hormones and the other didn’t seem to be especially horny, although there was some attraction there. He thought however that he could smell worry. 

“Drew...” Cody closed his laptop, put it aside. “We have to talk about something. It’s important.”

A momentary frown crossed Drew’s face, but he nodded. “Okay, what’s up?”

Cody took a deep breath. He hated things like this, always had. “Um, Drew. This is nothing against you, you’ve always been great to me but the thing is – I’m moving out. Leaving. I think we need to break up,” he added, a little redundantly since he had pretty much said that already.

Drew regarded him with a surprising lack of reaction. “I don’t think so Cody. I don’t think so at all. Let’s talk about this, I know you’ll feel differently soon.”

“Drew!” Cody ran his hand through his hair, having expected more in the way of insults and recriminations, possibly derision about the size of his penis and what he did with it. Not this calm refusal to accept what he had to say. “Look, I know you don’t wanna hear this and we have had a good relationship, but I really need to do this. There’s things about me you don’t know and...”

“Like where you go at night?” Drew shrugged. “I know.”

“I doubt that very much,” muttered Cody.

“You change into something else and go on long runs through the fields,” returned Drew, no change in his tone of voice at all. “I know. I’ve known for ages.”

Cody’s jaw dropped and he stared at Drew, completely lost for words. How did he know? Cody had always been so careful and it was one of those things that no one could ever believe unless they saw it and perhaps not even then. 

Drew rested a hand on Cody’s shoulder and indicated to him to sit on the couch, which Cody did. He honestly couldn’t believe what Drew had just said – and that he was still behaving as if there was no real issue there at all. “I’ll make us a drink,” Drew said comfortingly, heading over to the cabinet where they kept their alcohol. 

Cody pulled himself together enough to notice this. “No, not for me, I have to drive.” And those words, politely delivered, only made the situation more surreal. 

Drew shrugged, poured himself a weak one and took a seat beside Cody. “You shouldn’t be going anywhere Cody. I know that someone’s been giving you bad advice but as soon as I found out what you were, I went out to try to find some answers for you. I didn’t say anything because I was waiting for you to confide in me.” This last said with a low tone of reproach.

Cody felt a low flush of guilt that he tried to beat back. “What was I going to say? I thought you’d think I was crazy!”

“Aye, I thought that was why you were holding out on me.” Drew swirled his drink around in his glass, not taking a drink. “But I managed to speak to someone who told me how these things work – and about how your old friend works.”

Cody was sure he went white. Did Drew know about Ted somehow? But how could he?

“There’s a lot of things I’m not sure I understand,” Drew told him. “But apparently, the man who changed you belongs to a pack known for its dirty tactics. The leader took over from the old leader by usurping the position from the leaders son, chased off anyone who supported him and added people he could control. And he uses manipulation, lies, to keep the pack where he wants them. The biggest one, I was told, was that you need to mate for life and that simply isn’t true. I managed to make contact with this one guy, Punk, who says that it’s an old myth that gets used to keep members of a pack in place. And he said he’s like to meet you, tell you how things really are, because he knows you’ve probably been mislead if you’ve been listening to the wrong people.”

Cody stared, shaking his head slightly. “You’ve been doing this for how long now?” 

“Long enough.” Drew set his glass aside, contents untouched and Cody had the sudden feeling that Drew wasn’t telling him the entire truth. Not that he was lying – but that he was concealing or misrepresenting something. He wasn’t sure what though. “The best part Cody, is that if I introduce you to Punk and his friends, then there’s be no more hiding, no more pretending to be something you’re not. And Punk thinks there might be a place for us with them.”

Cody’s head shot up. “Wait, us?”

“Well, yeah.” Drew reached out a hand, rested it on Cody’s face, thumb caressing his cheek. “I love you Cody. If this is who you are, then I want to share it with you. I’m doing what’s best for you. I’ll never leave you to cope with this on your own... never abandon you.”

Cody stared at Drew for a moment, then dropped his eyes. “Drew. I already made up my mind about leaving.”

Drew nodded slowly. “And you’ve already packed up most of your things I see,” he added dryly. “Just do me one favour Cody? I know you’re getting deeper involved in those damned werewolves, the ones that can’t be trusted. And I know you can look after yourself but it’s my job to look out for you. As your lover,” he mentioned, causing Cody to flush slightly. “For one night at least, don’t go to them. Stay in a hotel, think about what I’ve had to say and what you’re thinking of doing. And in the morning, let me know what you’ve decided. You can’t just make a choice like this without thinking it over properly and you should meet the guy I’ve been talking to. He might tell you more things than he told me, but he was very worried that you might have some involvement with them.”

Cody hesitated, then nodded. “Okay. Just for tonight, I’ll stay in a hotel and think it over. But I won’t promise that I’ll change my mind or my plans. Or that I’ll agree to meet your contact.” He wanted to ask how Drew had found another werewolf anyway, but refrained. He wasn’t sure he liked where the conversation was leading him.

“Just think it over Cody,” replied Drew quietly, looking saddened as Cody turned to put his laptop into its bag, slinging it over his shoulder and going to the bedroom for the rest of his things. A moment later Cody emerged, showing no apparent effort with carrying the heavy things. But he did stop for a moment. “Drew—“He sighed. “Look, now I regret not telling you anything, but I’ve never regretted being with you. No matter what happens, I never will.” With that he left the flat, closing the door behind him. 

Drew went to the closed door, hearing Cody’s steps leading away from him. The forced look of calm was gone from his face, replaced by an angry, bitter scowl. Cody was leaving, he hadn’t planned on that and perhaps he shouldn’t have let Cody know that he was in on the secret. But he still had options. He knew Cody well enough to be sure the man would at least drive to a hotel, would probably sit in the car for several long minutes while he thought it over. Whether or not he actually stayed in the hotel or not was debateable. He might not have convinced Cody, or maybe Cody would go searching for answers from the man Drew was certain Cody had left him for, although he had not admitted to such a thing. 

But he had at least bought himself some time. He had been to DiBiase’s house that morning, seen the man arrive on the doorstep and recognised him from the pictures Punk had shown him. He could get there again and considering that Cody was about to be doing some soul-searching, he was pretty sure he could get there before his lover did – if his lover did. 

Drew had also done some thinking and guessed that there was at least one way he could even the odds. There was nothing he could do about the strength or speed of his rival, but he could certainly rid the other of his sharpened vision and heightened sense of smell. Not to mention causing him a world of hut. 

Shoving his hand in his pocket, he carefully checked that his little can of Mace was still there.

To say Cody was close to freaking out would not be an understatement. He had his suitcase and backpack in the back-seat of his car, his hands on the wheel and his key in the ignition—but he hadn’t turned the engine on. He wasn’t sure whether he could actually drive safely in the shock he was in, even though he was aware that a car accident wouldn’t cause too much damage to him. Which, of course, was the problem. The ravenette looked at his phone after removing it from his pocket, biting his lip slightly. What should he do?

Despite the shock and what Drew had said Cody hadn’t changed his mind about leaving the other, although he wasn’t suddenly sure what ringing Ted about this development would accomplish. However, it seemed pretty prudent that now would be a good time to tell someone in the pack about what had happened—he hadn’t liked Drew’s strange apathy about the whole situation, and all of the talk of a ‘contact’ had had all of the fine hairs on the back of his neck standing to attention. He would contact Ted, and John and Randy, soon, but first he felt like he should call the man who now, de-facto, was considered his leader since he had agreed to consider himself a part of the pack. Chris. However, as he called the other man, it was Evan’s cheery voice that emitted from the other end of the line, “Hey Cody! My this is a surprise, how are you?” had he not been so wound up Cody would have thought it amusing that Evan was acting as though they had known one another forever and hadn’t seen one another in years. But, right then he was much too unnerved.

“Evan, can you get Chris on the phone please? This is an emergency.” In his mind’s-eye Cody could see the smile slip from Evan’s face and imagined he was worrying his lip as he called Chris and handed the phone over. Chris’ voice sounded down the line, and Cody was surprised to feel a slight sense of ease at it. “I just attempted to break up with Drew—“he forestalled the congratulations he was sure Chris was about to give him, “—and he told me that he’s known for a long time about the fact that I’m a werewolf thanks to a ‘contact’ like me.”

Almost immediately Cody sensed Chris becoming agitated. “Cody, do you have your things with you?” Cody nodded, then remembered that he was on the phone and verbally responded in the affirmative. “Yeah I do, why?” Chris frowned and then wrapped an arm around Evan’s shoulders as he felt his mate pressing into his side in concern, obviously wondering what was going on. “Do you have somewhere you can go for tonight?” from where Cody lived he knew that going to Ted’s would take a good long while and if this ‘contact’ was watching the young man sending him to Ted might be risky.

“Well, I was just going to go to a hotel…” he didn’t tell Chris that Drew had been the one to request that he do such a thing to ‘reconsider’ the ‘incorrect choice’ that he was possibly going to be making. Chris rubbed a hand through his hair and huffed a soft breath, “That might be a good idea. However, make sure that you keep an eye out; as soon as something seems even minutely out of place to you get out of there and then go to Ted’s, alright?” Hell, Cody hadn’t needed Chris to tell him that: that was exactly what he had been intending to do. “Ok. What are you going to do?” Chris considered swiftly and used his alpha-instincts to try and secure his pack’s coordination and safety as fast as he could manage. “I’ll call John and let him and Randy know to keep an eye out, and I’ll call Ted too. I’ll tell him that you might be coming to his, but also that you might not. I’ll have him stay home unless he feels he shouldn’t.”

Unease flooded Cody as he recalled the things Drew had been saying about Chris and his pack. “I don’t know if he should stay home, Chris—Drew seemed to make out that this guy, whoever he is, knows something about you and the pack.” He didn’t have time to elaborate, knowing he had been sitting in the drive as long as it was and that was probably giving Drew the wrong impression. “And, well, there’s something else that he said that has really freaked me out…” he didn’t like admitting that, but in this instance he didn’t believe he was unfounded in such emotions. “Go on.” Chris prompted immediately.

“Well, Drew said something about this contact supposedly said that mate’s for life don’t exist and it’s the biggest lie you use to control your pack, and that there is a place for me AND Drew in this other pack.” Chris growled angrily despite himself, the phone creaking ominously beneath his hand before he forced himself to relax a little. “Did he happen to give a name for this person?” he asked with a growling undercurrent in his voice. Evan was fidgeting nervously besides him at Chris’ moods changing so rapidly, but he didn’t want to interrupt. Momentarily, Cody couldn’t think of one—and then he remembered.

“Drew only ever addressed the person as ‘Punk’, which doesn’t—“he didn’t even have chance to finish his thought before Chris was saying urgently down the phone, “I want you to come here as fast as you can, Cody. If it’s who I think it is, we don’t need a pup like you being caught by him.” Had he not been so concerned by what was going on Cody would have demanded to know where the hell Chris was getting off calling him a ‘pup’—and what the hell did that even mean? “Can you do it?” Cody bit his lip slightly, “I uh, guess so, but I mean it’s a hell of a long drive—“Chris once again reiterated he should try and get there as fast as he could, for his safety and the safety of his pack.

“Actually, go to Ted’s; it’s probably safest if the pair of you remained together.” Chris had a horrible feeling that his past was coming back to bite him and they had to act fast before something went down. “I need you to get Ted and come back here. I’ll talk to the others and then we can work out our strategy from here.” Chris bid the other a safe and swift journey and then text Ted to tell him to pack any necessities and be ready to leave when Cody came to get him—telling the other that the other man would explain when he saw him. Chris then called John. The other man didn’t answer and Chris cursed; he had forgotten that John would be back at work today and he was probably in the middle of teaching a class right now. For fuck’s sake!

~~~

Feeling his phone vibrating in his pocket, Punk pulled the device from his jeans and read the message. A growl of irritation left him as he read the message. Wade looked up from the book he had been reading, Justin and Jeff stopping the game of cards they had been playing. Edge and Matt had gone out, the pair of them claiming they were going stir-crazy being stuck indoors despite the fact that it had been raining outside when they had left. “What’s wrong with ya, Punk?” the Englishman demanded and Punk blew a breath out through his nose irritably, “It seems that our little wannabe has let the cat out of the bag and the boy has begun to move… he says he’s gone to a hotel, but I doubt it.”

Momentarily Wade felt a flicker of irritation himself. “We could have done with them all remaining separate for a while longer,” he muttered, slightly more to himself than the others even though they were listening to him. “-but it can’t be helped. If we try and intercept them now then we’ll blow our own cover.” Actually, this might work in their favour—they will be so het up looking for the ‘threat’ coming for them that they won’t hardly take any notice of our Angel as he ‘befriends’,” Wade smirked and Jeff and Justin snickered as he finished, “the little one Chris seems to have attached himself to.” Jeff tightened his little ponytail before then cocking his head to the side in a distinctly canine action that they all did subconsciously, “So why the little one? You thinkin’ to break him down and then have Chris so distracted you can take him out?” Or something along those lines anyway.

“We’ll see how it works when we get around to it.” Wade nodded. Justin then moved, leaning in close to Wade and pouting, “Wade, I wanna play with him.” Punk’s eyes glinted at Justin’s words; play was the way they deemed it when they were with one another intimately. The dark haired man’s brows almost vanished into his hairline. “Is that a fact, Angel?” he fisted his hand in the South-African’s hair and pulled his head back—Justin whimpered from pain at the action and pleasure when Wade licked at his exposed throat, “Do you want to make him scream for you?” Well, if Evan knew what was good for him he’d join their pack and then they’d all be getting a go—so who was Wade to deny Justin his wishes?

He had no doubt that such a thing would break Chris; the alienation and then intimate destruction of his ‘mate’ would tap into the old-timer’s instincts and he’d be so ruled by his need for revenge on them for what they had done to Evan that he wouldn’t think clearly and Wade would have no problem taking his advantage. He didn’t intend to just defeat Chris—he intended to annihilate him. According to Edge (and then later, Punk) Chris was the reason his father had died and Wade would not rest until he had his revenge and regained that which rightfully belonged to him: Chris’ pack and his land. “What about the Human?” Jeff smirked at Wade’s irritated expression upon the words breaking the little moment he and Justin had been engaging in, “He’s going to be a problem. Unless—“he stopped.

“Unless what?” Wade asked. Jeff then wrinkled his nose, as though unsure what to say before he then shrugged and continued on, “Unless you are actually planning to change him into one of us?” The Englishman’s brow furrowed slightly and he looked minutely complicated. He hadn’t thought that far ahead because he had pretty much assumed that by the time that came around everything would have been sorted out. “I don’t know.” He said evasively as he looked to Punk, “You can string him along for a bit longer, right?” Punk nodded, moving to the mini-bar and pulling out a can of Pepsi. Even now none of the pack could quite believe just how dead-set he was about drinking.

“Of course I can.” Punk was also half-and-half concerning Drew because the man had some serious potential to really fit in with them. Then again if their pack became too large then other complications could arise somewhere down the line from one of them coming away from the big picture. They would cross that bridge when they came to it though considering they were now going to have to proceed with some care otherwise their whole plan and all of the effort would be for nought. Wade looked out of the hotel window, seeing the rain was still pouring down, and there was a part of him that was itching to go out there and change for a run in the woods—but he contained himself. They had things to do that required opposable thumbs.

Ted was just wondering whether or not he should text Cody when he got the message; he didn’t want to come across as too overbearing but he’d had a bad feeling all day and it was making him agitated. The delivery of food had arrived and he could no longer busy himself with setting up the house. His phone was in his hand as he wondered if he should just give Cody a quick text when it buzzed, telling him of his message.

Not from Cody though, from Chris. Ted frowned. Chris rarely bothered to text them, unless there was some emergency or it was their birthdays (and he invariably supplemented the day with ten grand in their bank accounts, whether they wanted or needed the money or not). Chris didn’t make small talk, it was always important. Ted opened the message, eyes widening slightly at what he found. Cody is on his way to yours. Take him and come here. Explain then. Hurry.

Ted paused as he looked at the message, wanting to call Cody – but knowing he needed to give Cody the chance to drive there unimpeded. Instead, he raced up the stairs, the wardrobe he had so recently taken up again ransacked as he grabbed two pairs of jeans, five tops, entire packets of underwear and socks (they were from the delivery). He knew that Cody would take a while to get to his house, but rather than take the chance he locked up and waited on the street, out of sight behind a bush.

When Cody’s car pulled into his street, he raced up to where he knew it was going to stop. Cody looked almost startled when Ted ripped open the passenger door and got in the car, something that Ted couldn’t help but think was adorable. He leaned between the seats, kissing Cody hard on the mouth. “I don’t know what’s going on, but let’s take it seriously,” he said and Cody nodded, putting the car into drive and pulling away.

Several minutes later, another car pulled up outside Ted’s house. A man with long hair tied back in a ponytail got out – he seemed to be nervous and his hand never left his pocket. But when he rang Ted’s bell several times and got no response, he went back to the car and kicked it, repeatedly.

~:~

The shoot was turning out to be a colossal bore; sometimes it was rather fun to be treated like a celebrity and photographed from every angle, Randy certainly enjoyed being the centre of attention. But the photographer was fussy and took himself too seriously, while the two female models who were also a part of the shoot were thick as bricks. Only the fact that they were not-too-subtle about their come-ons to him was saving it from being a major pain in the ass. Not that he would ever cheat on John for a couple of vapid bimbos, but he loved the attention and the ego-boost that came with the propositions. John hated it and Randy was well aware that John had hoped to accompany him on the shoot, would probably show up the moment school was finished, but he really had nothing to be concerned about. Randy knew he had a good thing with their relationship and more than that, there was simply no one that could affect him like John. He, like the other members of their pack, mated for life and if anything ever happened to mess things up between him and John... well, it didn’t bear thinking about. 

He was standing with his back to the photographer in the hated leather pants, the two girls each clinging to a leg and staring up at him like he was the answer to numerous wet dreams. That all models were stupid was a myth, but these two girls seemed to reinforce that assumption, considering that both of them were stroking a leg and wandering dangerously high. Once upon a time he might have considered suggesting they both took care of him once the shoot was over, but that had been in the days before he had gone on a shoot in a war-torn country and seen a shoot of a whole different kind, the place where he had first laid eyes on John. And saved his life, as John had once or twice pointed out, but it didn’t feel like that to Randy at all. Maybe because the thought of John being anywhere near death scared the hell out of him.

The photographer finally decided he was satisfied and Randy gave a little sigh of relief, heading off back to his changing room. He did however end up with a couple of tag-alongs in the form of the two models he had been posing with. Blonde, beautiful, slim – and they did nothing for him that John couldn’t do a thousand times better. 

“Can I help you out of those pants?” asked one of them, which Randy thought was one of the worst come-on lines he’d heard in ages.

“I live with someone,” he said, a little abruptly but he wasn’t in the mood to be polite. 

“So?” 

“A guy.”

“Maybe I can turn you.”

“Shit, are you for real?” He turned and glared angrily, both girls shrinking back in the face of that intensity. “I’m not interested, take the hint and fuck off!”

Barging into the room they had set aside for him to change in, he sighed and reached for his phone, which was giving an insistent bleeping to show that he had at least one missed call... make that five, he realised when he looked at the screen. Three from Chris, two from Evan. A frown passed over his face, when Chris phoned it was usually serious shit. He called Chris back, getting a response less than two rings in, which was unusual in itself, since Chris had a habit of leaving his phone in one room while he took off to another one. “Rand,” said Chris, some undeniable relief at getting in touch at last in his voice. “We might have a problem. Can you get down here, right now?” 

“Sure,” returned Randy, who as the person who’d been in the pack longest was the one that Chris tended to rely on when there was some problem. “What’s going on?”

“Punk’s trying to make contact with Cody.”

That got Randy’s attention. “Punk? I haven’t seen him around in years! What the hell’s his interest in Cody?”

“I don’t know, but it’s not likely to be anything good.” 

“So, what are we doing about it?”

“I want the whole pack here, as soon as possible. Cody’s picking up Ted and they’re on their way over, you’re coming but I haven’t managed to get a hold of John yet.”

“He won’t turn on his phone until he’s done teaching.” Randy checked his watch and made a quick calculation. “If I drive like a psycho, I can be there when he’s done, he’s got parents evening today. We won’t beat Ted and Cody there but we shouldn’t be too far behind them.”

“Great.” Chris hesitated a moment. “Uh, John’s run into Punk before hasn’t he?”

“Only once,” said Randy, a growl in his voice. “And that was enough.”

“Cody made mention that Punk’s got himself a pack now. That’s new. And worrying.”

“I really can’t see Punk throwing in with anyone else, he’s not exactly a team player.” Randy paused, it wasn’t his place to ask but he had to. “How much does Evan know about him?”

“Nothing.” Chris sighed. “I suppose I’ll have to explain a few things to him.” He didn’t add that Evan wouldn’t be pleased to have been kept in the dark, but Chris hadn’t wanted to disillusion his mate. It seemed though, that he was out of options on that score. 

“You can’t protect him forever Chris,” said Randy, although there was some sympathy in his tone, he could understand why Chris would want to. Evan’s life had been pretty rough before joining the pack from what Randy had heard and Chris was fiercely protective of his mate, not wanting to wake the other to the fact that there were some less pleasant aspects of their lifestyle. 

“I could have, if that assclown hadn’t shown his face again. Just get your ass down here, bring John. I can find out what exactly happened and what we can do about it when we know all the details.”

“Got it.” Randy terminated the call and threw on a shirt, not bothering to change out of the hated pants because he wanted to be moving. It was his way to tackle things head-on as soon as possible, this was just another example of that. Grabbing his bag, he headed out to his car and tore away, determined to get to John as soon as he could. After all, if punk had made contact with Cody, what was to stop him honing in on John next?

~:~

Chris leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes in some relief – he had no idea why Punk would make contact with Cody’s boyfriend (former boyfriend) but it was not a good sign that he had. Or that he had apparently joined with a pack. But if Punk had been talking with – what was his name, Drew? – then clearly the man had been keeping a watch out on them. And he was on their territory, which meant that he answered to Chris. And Chris had some questions he wanted answering. 

He opened his eyes a moment later when he felt a hand on the back of his neck, looking up and smiling at Evan. Evan was smiling a little, but Chris could tell he had some questions of his own and his eyes were worried. Chris sighed quietly, taking Evan’s arm and pulling the other to sit in the chair with him. This meant that Evan was practically on his knee, but he certainly didn’t mind that.

“Cody’s ex apparently already knew he was a werewolf,” he said, linking his fingers with Evan’s. “He was told by one of our kind that I’m familiar with and if he’s got some interest in Cody, then that can’t be a good thing.” He noticed Evan’s curiosity and elaborated. “Punk he calls himself. He’s a real pain in the tail. Spends most of his time in wolf form, attacks humans, isn’t even slightly careful about covering his tracks. He thinks we should be superior to the humans, thinks they’re inferior... you know the type. Same shit, different species. He’s passed through our territory a couple of times and he always brings trouble with him. This is new though, approaching Cody – it’s worrying. He would have had to find out about him being one of us, find out who his boyfriend was, I don’t know if they’ve been meeting long but Cody made it sound like Drew had the info for a good long time. He’s planning something and I don’t like it at all. On top of that, Cody mentioned that Punk wants him and Drew as part of the pack – last I knew, Punk didn’t have a pack. He’s not the type to throw in with anyone who can’t help him out in some way. I’m wondering if he’s been changing people himself, being able to order people around would actually suit him pretty well.”

Evan frowned as he took in this information. “It doesn’t sound like he’s just passing through this time.”

“Right. That’s why I want the pack here, so we can decide what to do about it.”

Evan chewed on his lower lip for a moment. “Might this have something to do with the guy I met? If Punk’s got a pack I mean, it’s a bit of a coincidence.”

Chris hadn’t even considered that. “I hope not Puppy, but I think you should stay in the manor for the time being.” He noticed Evan’s pout and squeezed his hand lightly. “Just until we find out what Punk’s game is. I don’t want to put you in any danger... Punk’s tough. And vicious, and cold. He wouldn’t hesitate to mess with you just to piss me off. Or just because he thought it was fun.”

And there was his greatest fear voiced. He had always been terrified that someone could do Evan harm because Chris was the pack leader. He knew his own pack well enough to know that none of them were capable of such behaviour, but they weren’t the only ones who might one day wish to take his place. 

“Nothing’s gonna happen to me Chris,” said Evan softly, brushing Chris’ hair back. Chris chuckled a little; sometimes he thought Evan could read his mind. But before he could voice the thought, Evan leaned in to kiss him and that certainly did a lot to remove some of the stress he’d been feeling since Cody’s call. After a moment Evan broke the kiss and leaned back slightly, an impish grin on his face. “No one’s gonna be here for a while yet and you need to chillax.”

Chris laughed. “I need to what?”

“Just shut up and let me take care of you a while.” No one else could have gotten away with such impudence, but when it came to Evan, Chris would let him get away with pretty much anything. And then Evan straddled Chris, settling onto his lap and kissing him again, allowing Chris to finally put Punk to the back of his mind. For now.


	11. Chapter Ten: Be On Guard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Those in the pack not in the know are told of the mysterious 'Punk's' past.

“Shit—“Cody gasped, eyes widening as he caught sight of the man in his rear-view mirror, “That’s Drew!” Ted immediately felt his hackles rise, and couldn’t help sending Cody a slight look, “Seems like a charming bloke.” Cody flushed slightly and looked uncomfortable as he pressed his foot down on the accelerator as much as he dared. “Not the time Ted.” Ted placed his hand on Cody’s thigh as a silent apology.

“I don’t understand—how would he know where you lived?” Cody frowned softly to himself as he forced himself not to just floor the car; the last thing they needed was to get pulled over by the cops at such a crucial juncture. “I’ve never told him. Hell, I never even mentioned you to him.” Ted couldn’t help being hurt by that but then at the same time understood that it was hardly the done-thing to discuss your ex with your current lover.

“Something tells me that this threat must be pretty damn big,” Ted murmured, “Chris seemed incredibly agitated even though text—and he never texts us unless he can avoid it or it’s an emergency.” Cody nodded, watching as they got closer and closer to the city limits with every street they passed. “He sounded pretty het up when I called him as well…” he admitted, “Especially when I said a name. Punk.” He added on the end, but Ted looked confused too.

“Punk?” Ted’s brow furrowed, “Sounds like some convict escapee who’s trying to look like a hard man.” Cody quirked the smallest of smiles at the quip but continued with his attention on the drive. He could feel his mate’s anxiety, could all but taste his own, and the hand on his leg was keeping him grounded as much as he supposed the gesture was doing to Ted in return. When they got outside of the city and onto the more open roads Cody gunned the engine of his little car and they rocketed forwards. Ted would have been concerned had he not been through a car-window once; he’d done more manage to the car than it had done to him.

~:~

John smiled and shook hands with yet another parent before bidding them goodbye—and bidding goodbye to the cheery student that was alongside them. John knew that his students always worried that he might have something bad to say about them even though he was pretty well-known for being nice about even the worst student. Not that John had many bad ones; he seemed pretty good at inspiring the masses to behave themselves. Suddenly, the sound of an engine caught his sensitive hearing—as did the realisation that his mate was in the immediate proximity. Moving across his classroom, John looked out of the window… and felt his jaw dropping slightly at the sight that greeted his eyes out on the playground. Randy, in their Aston, leaning against the hood (what the fuck was he doing wearing those pants in public when John wasn’t with him?) and looking directly at the window. John felt his heart pound slightly.

But then, over his delighted shock, John suddenly had a thought: what was Randy doing there in the first place when his shoot shouldn’t have been over yet? Catching his mate’s eyes John sensed the other calling to him, and he heeded the call without really thinking about it. That had been his last scheduled appointment anyway. Grabbing his briefcase and previously discarded jumper, the shirt-and-tie clad John hastened out of his classroom and onto the playground—where Randy had gathered quite a gathering of awestruck children, lust-driven mothers and jealous fathers… even a few in reverse. “Randy—“John flushed a little as everyone looked to him when he arrived, Randy’s body extending itself out with an almost serpentine grace. “I came to pick you up,” Randy smiled—but John saw the true tension in his mate.

Sending a smile to the gathered humans John hastily got into the passenger’s side as Randy got back into the driver’s seat. When everyone had backed away enough Randy peeled out of the playground; the expensive engine of their car purring like a giant jungle-cat. Turning to look at his mate John queried, “Now that you’ve successfully outed us to the entire community of the school and had several parents wondering how much of a salary primary school teachers make: what the hell is going on?” Sure, Randy had come to collect him from school before, but it had always been much less ostentatious as it had been this time around. His smile slid from his face at the expression on Randy’s.

“Baby?” he immediately dropped his joking and Randy turned his head enough to meet the clouded-with-worry baby-blues that his lover possessed. “Something’s happened.” Randy muttered gruffly as he kicked the car into another gear once they were safely away from the school. “We need to get to the manor ASAP. Chris’ freaking out.” John’s eyes widened somewhat, “Well, we need to go home and get—“He didn’t even have chance to finish his thought before Randy cut in with, “I went on my way to get you, baby. Grabbed the barest essentials ‘cause I figured anything that I’d missed we could just get whilst we were there.” John nodded, then asked, “What’s gone on?” Randy huffed a breath and John wanted to do something, anything to soothe the tension and worry rolling off of his mate, “I don’t know entirely. What I do know though is that Punk has made some contact with Cody, and Cody’s little human meat-puppet isn’t as clueless as he’d been making out he was.”

A frisson of fear ran down John’s spine at Punk’s name; it had taken a lot to truly scare him when he was human, even more when he had become borderline indestructible, but that name truly sent him into a momentary freeze-frame of nostalgia—and not a pleasant nostalgia. Randy registered the loss of colour in John’s face and the complete lack of smile and growled despite himself; the sound made John startle and Randy immediately felt bad. It wasn’t his fault John had reacted like that… he had every right to be reacting like that. Randy’s hands tightened around the steering wheel as he exhaled another growl, “It’s Ok baby.” He promised, vowed, quietly. His voice seemed to echo in the confined space of the car and John could all-but feel the determination dripping from each syllable, “He’s not goin’ to get you. He’s not going to come anywhere near you.” If he tried then Randy would finish what he had started the other time Punk had tried to make his presence felt on John, not long after his lover had recovered from the shot and the change—a time when he had been vulnerable and without Randy.

The thought of what may have happened to John had he been alone with Punk was enough to fill Randy with a cold sense of dread that weighed like a ball of lead within his stomach. However, now wasn’t the time to think about that. “Is Cody Ok?” John whispered concern in his voice. Randy understood the other’s concern; they might not have known Cody long, or had him in their pack long, but the fact was that he was part of the pack regardless of time limit and that therefore meant that they cared about him. “From what I can tell Punk hasn’t actually had him face-to-face… Chris doesn’t want to be taking any chances.” They fell silent for the remainder of the drive, Randy only feeling partially reassured when he saw the sign overhead alerting them to the fact that they were entering the town limits and in about twenty minutes they would be pulling into the manor gates. He hoped that he had been right in his prediction that Cody and Ted would get there first.

They didn’t need any stragglers.

~:~

“Oh, goddamn, Puppy!” Chris growled in pleasure as his blonde-brown head tipped backwards, arching his hips towards Evan’s mouth. His mischievous lover had kissed him into submission before then slipping between his legs quick-as-a-wink and turned his focus onto another part of Chris’s body—a part that was enjoying the attention very much indeed. Evan moaned softly around Chris’ hard flesh in response to his pet-name, feeling Chris’ partially exposed thighs tensing and flexing from where they essentially cradled Evan’s upper-body as he knelt down on the floor. The ex-rocker’s fingers curled through Evan’s dark hair, merely contenting himself with the other’s presence and not pushing him in any way to do anything other than to continue as he wished. He had always made it a point never to force Evan into anything.

Actually, to be perfectly honest, it had been a long time before he had even allowed Evan to do this particular act to him. Since he knew of the other’s –for want of a better word- sordid past he had done everything possible in his power to assure Evan that he was nothing like the other men who had had the privilege of putting their hands upon the angel before him. Evan had never felt that Chris was like that though, even from the first moment he had laid eyes upon him, and so he was the one who had first made the move to show Chris that he actually wanted to do things like this out of pure desire rather than a need for some easy money… though he knew that getting the money that he needed to survive had been far from easy; Chris had lost count of the nights when he would awaken to find Evan missing from their bed to find him in the bathroom fully dressed underneath the shower-spray, crying. Sometimes he wouldn’t even be in the shower he’d just be curled up on the floor silently sobbing to himself about being unclean, dirty, tainted. Chris knew that Evan was scared his past would some day lead to Chris leaving him, but Chris would never let that happen. He had vowed he would never leave Evan even when he drew his last breath on this earth.

The thoughts were chased from his mind as Evan did a particular little move with his tongue that had Chris gasping desperately. Meeting his mate’s eyes Chris felt that same soul-searing sensation that he always did in the other’s presence. The feeling of their connection, the abject adoration in Evan’s eyes and the perfect wet-heat around his cock was more than enough to send Chris diving into climax with Evan’s name echoing around the living-room. Swallowing Chris down Evan then cleaned him before adjusting the breathless alpha’s clothing for him. Immediately Chris pulled Evan into his arms and kissed him as passionately as he could with the little breath that he had managed to recover. Evan cupped Chris’ cheeks in his small hands and kissed back with equal feeling.

“When everyone gets here…” Chris murmured quietly, not wanting to do this but knowing that he had to, “—we’re all going to have a serious conversation. There’s some things that you all need to know.” He then paused and considered, “Well, you, Ted, John and Cody that is.” Evan looked confused, almost frightened and Chris caressed the lithe man’s back in a soothing manner, “It’s Ok, Puppy.” He murmured softly, “It’s nothing bad… it’s just delicate information that I never wanted to have resurface in our pack…” burying his face into Evan’s neck Chris shuddered slightly in unease. “Don’t hate me, Evvy,” he whispered, inaudible to a human ear but clear to his own, “Whatever you may hear, whatever may happen, please don’t hate me. I couldn’t bare it.” Evan wanted to protest, tell Chris such a thing would never ever happen.

Since words seemed pretty meaningless right then Evan merely wrapped his arms around Chris and remained curled in his lap, stroking the other man’s hair and just placing the occasional soft kiss to Chris’ forehead or cheek until the other roused himself. It seemed like mere minutes when in fact it had been a few hours when the first car pulled into the grounds. “Ted.” Evan murmured softly, sensing the other man, “Cody’s with him.” Chris exhaled softly, “Two down, two to go.” He murmured, eyes turning to the clock on the wall. Waiting.

Ted and Cody entered the mansion without bothering to knock, finding Chris and Evan sitting in the living room, Evan sat on Chris’ knee. Ted was used to the pairs obvious closeness, although it had taken him a while to get used to since he’d known Chris for a long time before Evan had come into the picture and he’d never thought the man would be the demonstrative type. But Cody looked a little surprised by the display, as if he’d not thought their authority figure would actually show such behaviour. Chris looked at them sharply as they entered and would probably have gotten up if not for Evan on his lap. “You got here with no problems?”

Cody hesitated. “Well, we had a new development...”

“Possibly two,” interrupted Ted, causing Cody to glance at him in surprise. This was something he hadn’t heard about before. 

After a moment, he turned his attention back to Chris. “But no actual problem getting here.”

“That’s good news at least,” said Chris with a sigh. “We’ll wait for Randy and John before we go through what’s happening, so we don’t have to repeat ourselves.”

“Make yourselves comfortable, I’ll make drinks,” said Evan, getting off Chris’ knee and heading for the kitchen. Once he was gone, Chris allowed himself to stand, trying not to appear agitated but certainly not comfortable with the situation. Ted and Cody exchanged looks, then sat on one of the large couches in the room, close together and immediately linking hands. Chris noticed and gave a small, rather rueful smile before shoving his hands in his pockets and going to the window, checking out to see if there was any sign of John and Randy, although he would hear the car long before it came into view.

“How was your house when you finally got back to it?” he asked Ted, not wanting to sit in complete silence while they waited. Ted launched into the story, including nearly having a heart attack upon finding that he hadn’t been ripped off and the cleaning woman actually had been in every week to do a light clean. That at least raised a chuckle from Chris, since he’d had similar issues on long tours away from home back when he was actively working.

It wasn’t too long before they heard Randy and John’s car speeding toward the manor, by which time Evan had made drinks and was in the midst of telling them the entire plot of the film he and Chris had rented – Cody didn’t want to tell him not to, since they were all on edge and it would help them to calm down a little. Although he didn’t think any peace they found would last. The moment Evan heard the car engine he rose again to make drinks for Randy and John and Cody noticed that Chris seemed far tenser when the smaller man was away from him, as good as he was at hiding it they tended to pick up on body language since in wolf form, a large part of their communication depended upon it. 

Evan arrived back in the room moments before Randy and John did, putting the drinks on the table since when Randy burst in he didn’t seem ready to notice he had one waiting for him. In fact although it might not be obvious to anyone who didn’t know him well, Evan did and could see the tension in his shoulders. Right behind him, John was smiling at the group but certainly seemed worried. 

“What’s been happening?” asked Randy without giving a greeting.

“Hello to you too Randy,” replied Evan mildly. “Nice pants.”

That seemed to derail Randy. “Yeah, well, I was working,” he mumbled, while John’s smile turned into a far more genuine one. Put off his stride, Randy sat down and John took a place beside him, thanking Evan as the man pointed out their drinks. Although a large part of making them had been to give himself something to do, to focus on, while he waited for them. What the hell could Chris have to say that he hadn’t already shared with his mate? Whatever it was had sounded serious and in spite of his light demeanour and attempts to brighten the mood, Evan felt dark worry burning in his chest. 

He sat beside Chris instead of on his knee this time, thinking that his mate didn’t need the distraction while he was worrying about things, but pleased all the same when Chris’ hand immediately linked with his. Chris leant forward slightly, eyes fixed on Cody. “Start at the beginning. What happened when Drew came home?”

Cody rested his hand on Ted’s leg, sensing the tensing of his mate at the mention of his would-be rivals name. Frowning slightly, he told the story, being sure to be as word-for-word as he could in case it was important (and he was sure that he was the only one who heard Ted’s low growl when he got to the part where Drew said there was no way they were breaking up). Evan started looking worried when Cody mentioned Drew knowing where he went during the full moon and he noticed that Randy and John both looked grim when Punk’s name came up. He had no idea who Punk might be, but they clearly did – and from the way Chris had reacted when he’d mentioned it, he wasn’t exactly a friend of the pack. 

He finished telling them about the conversation right up to the part where he had called Chris, then paused a moment. “There’s more,” he said slowly. “When I went to Teddy’s to get him, we were just driving away when I noticed another car pulling up outside his house. It was Drew. He went banging on the door, but we were gone by then. He didn’t seem to see the car and he didn’t seem happy about missing Ted either.”

“He was kicking the shit outta the wheel,” added Ted with a smile that had no trace of amusement whatsoever in it. “For my part, I got woken up earlier on today by someone hammering like hell on the front door. Whoever it was had gone when I got there, it dragged me right outta bed. But I felt watched. And the smell was – weird.” He frowned, trying to describe a smell after the fact was difficult to put into words. “Human yeah, male. But it was practically buried, because they were wearing so much damned deodorant. Made my nose itch. One of those cheap generic brand that you get in the supermarket, y’know, the bottle looks a bit like the pricy brand but it’s a helluva lot less subtle?”

“Drew was wearing that today,” said Cody worriedly. “I thought it was just because he’d been staying at his mums and didn’t have any there, I didn’t really give it much thought. It wasn’t strong like you said, but I didn’t see him ‘til a lot later and it would have worn off some.”

“Did you ever tell Drew about Ted?” asked Chris.

Cody shook his head. “Uh-uh. I didn’t really want to talk about it...” He squeezed Ted’s leg, giving a slightly nervous laugh. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to hide how I felt about Ted from him and that would create all kinds of trouble. I know I didn’t say anything to him.”

Chris let out a breath. “Then either he did a little digging around on you or else Punk found out and told him. That’s really not good news.”

“Understatement,” growled Randy. “If Punk’s back to cause trouble, I say we put him out of his misery, permanently.” 

Ted, Cody and Evan all looked rather startled by this but neither John nor Chris seemed surprised. “That is what we do with threats,” mused Chris.

“Or say we do. We’ve never had a real threat since Punk last ran off,” returned Randy.

“We tracked him out of our territory, he ran for his life and we were too far behind him,” Chris informed them.

“Why were you chasing him in the first place?” asked Cody, intrigued.

The three older men exchanged rather cagy looks and then John sighed and leant forward. “Ted, Ev, you know some of this. When I was in the army, I was stationed abroad for a while. There was a lot of unrest, local militants who weren’t pleased about American intervention, even though we weren’t at war with them or anything like that. To cut a long story short, I ended up getting separated from the others and shot. It would have been fatal on its own since I was bleeding out and the guy was coming back to finish up the job. Only he didn’t get to me, because Randy got there first and he changed me too – and that saved my life, because you know how much more resilient we are than humans.”

Cody’s eyes were wide as he stared at Randy and John, this whole story being news to him. Randy clearly didn’t like discussing it, face almost grim, both arms wrapped around his mate. Whereas John’s face had gone from uncomfortable in the recollection to almost nostalgic and Cody wondered if it was John’s near-brush with death that made Randy look so serious and the thought of Randy saving him that made John seem less affected then he probably should have been.

And then John frowned, hesitated a little and Cody realised that he actually was affected by what had happened. Maybe not entirely negatively, but he doubted anyone could get shot and almost die without some residual baggage. 

“I lost a lot of blood though and I was pretty weak, even after the change,” he said slowly. “Randy contacted Chris and he must have pulled some pretty damn long strings because I was sent straight from the military hospital to the private hospital near here.” He smiled, although it was strained. “It was about four days before the full moon.”

“We have to change at the full moon, but we can change at any time we want.” Chris gave Cody a quizzical look. “Did you know that?”

“Yeah.” Cody gave a slight smile. “When I worked out what I was, I tried it when it wasn’t full moon. It’s really hard work though, I’ve only done it twice.”

“It gets easier.” Chris fell silent and looked toward John, waiting for him to continue.

John gave Randy a quick glance and leaned further into his arms. “I got released and ended up here – it was close to full moon and hell, I needed a lot explaining to me. And to recover, because I did a lot of bleeding before I was changed and it might sound kinda strange, but we don’t lose much blood because we heal fast and very little really harms us. But the damage done when I was human needed some recovery time. I was sorta freaked out by the whole thing at first and after my first night changed I wanted some peace and quiet away from the manor. Get my head together, y’know? So I went for a drive, promised to be back before dark. I went to a town nearby, parked up, decided to walk awhile and a couple of hours later, I was pretty much calm about the whole thing. It was still out of the realm of what I’d thought possible, but it was happening, it hadn’t been unpleasant to change or anything – and there was Randy.” 

Cody was mildly amused to note the slight colour on John’s cheeks at the confession, but decided not to call the other on it. For one thing, he knew exactly what John was talking about. For another, this related to Drew’s mysterious contact somehow and he didn’t want to interrupt.

“I was just thinking about going back when a guy waved to me, like we were old friends or something. I wasn’t suspicious or anything, but I wasn’t sure what to make of it. He came over and started chatting right away, friendly as you like. Introduced himself as Punk, one of the pack. When I said that I hadn’t heard about him, he looked a bit sad for a second and then he smiled and said Chris tended to treat him like a red-headed step-child. It made me laugh a bit, but I felt sorry for him, since I could smell he was a werewolf and no one had even bothered to mention him. We were in a park, there were a lot of open fields nearby – busy as hell on weekends but it was a Wednesday I think, some weekday for sure and it was quiet. I didn’t really realise we were walking that way – or that he was leading and I was just walking with him. We were just making small talk really, although he had this sly little moment I didn’t like when he said he could smell Randy all over me, that kinda made me wonder if he was really as nice as he was making himself out to be. Then he excuses himself to step behind a bush and while I was wandering real slow waiting for him to catch up, my phone goes. Chris gave it me as a temporary measure and it’s just as well. It was Randy making sure I hadn’t passed out or something and I asked him why he’d never mentioned Punk while I was at the manor. He asked where I was and I was just telling him when I heard this growl from behind me. I turned, saw Punk – or rather, wolf-Punk. And all of a sudden, he wasn’t friendly at all. He went for me, knocked me flying and I lost the phone.” 

John gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I’d changed once in my life, the night before. I knew I could change in the day, but I didn’t know how. And I was still weaker than I should have been, thanks to the blood loss. I got an arm in front of my throat, he took a good bite out of it before I managed to wrestle him off and back away. I wasn’t gonna last against him in human form but I didn’t know how to make myself turn. I was lucky – he was playing with me. He didn’t think there was anyone close enough to help, only close enough to find me when it was way too late.” 

“But I was pretty sure I knew where he was going,” said Randy unexpectedly. “I was driving around the area. Not following, I just wanted to be close in case John suddenly felt dizzy or something, he got that once or twice after getting out of the hospital.”

John looked at Randy, smiling warmly. “You saved my life twice in a week.” Turning back to the others, he lost the smile. “I managed to force a change – it’s like you said though Cody, it’s really hard at first and it was lucky I was wearing shorts and trainers and I managed to get right out of them. Punk was amused by that. And then he went for me again, we fought a while but I don’t think I put up much of a fight.” He looked rather ashamed and angry at this admission and Cody supposed it must have been difficult, going from an ex-army guy to understandably weakened. 

“There was a lot of biting and snapping and attacking each other,” he continued. “I could feel myself trying to change back and by the time we got to a grove of trees separating the field from the road, I couldn’t help it and I did. I grabbed a branch and managed to get it in his mouth, but I knew it wasn’t going to work for long and I knew I couldn’t move as fast as him – that fucker’s incredibly fast. I didn’t think I could get away. And then Randy showed up and drove him off.”

Looking at the pair of them, Cody doubted it had been that simple. He could see it in his head, a naked, bloodied John in a last-ditch attempt to ward off a wolf, a second wolf bulleting across the field toward them, the snarl rising in volume as he approached... and then crashing into the attacker in a flurry of teeth and claws. He shivered slightly. 

“I ended up changing back so the wounds were less obvious and Randy wore my clothes back to the car – my car as it happened...”

“I left the keys in mine and some fucker stole it,” added Randy with a distinct tone of malice.

“He brought me back here and by the time he and Chris chased the scent, Punk was long gone.” John sat up straighter, as if indicating he was done discussing it. 

Cody was aware of Ted’s grip on his hand growing tighter, probably in response to hearing this about someone who’d shown an interest in Cody. He could sense the worry and protectiveness of his mate and placed a hand on the back of his neck in a soothing gesture.

Ted looked over at Cody, gratitude in his eyes but his expression deadly serious when he turned back to the pack. “Why would he wanna mess with John at all? And he mentioned Chris by name, Randy too, so he must have run into you both before.”

Chris nodded slowly, his eyes flickering to Evan momentarily. “We’d met him before, yeah. He passed through the territory once or twice before I was the pack leader and I didn’t trust him at all. But he never stuck around more than a day or so, he really was only passing through. He was a wanderer, pretty young at the time as well. I didn’t like him, or trust him, but he was someone we barely saw and Barrett – he was pack leader at the time – always said to just let him go on his merry way and he’d be gone before long, unless we gave him a reason to stay, like rising to his bullshit. I didn’t agree, but he was pack leader and you don’t go against what the pack leader says, unless you want to take over or take off.”

By this point Evan had turned more in his seat to face Chris, attention entirely on his mate. Chris gave him a rather wan smile before going on. “But Punk has the unerring instinct of showing up just when he can cause the most trouble. And the time we saw him before he attacked John, there was some big trouble going down.” 

His eyes went to Randy a moment, who gave a sardonic smirk. “Was there ever.”

Chris nodded. “Barrett died. It was – odd. The thing was, he was pack leader for a long time. That suited me, I had a career to think of, but I did tend to take up the slack sometimes...”

“Chris was his right-hand wolf,” interrupted Randy. “Maybe not the Alpha, but someone you answered to and didn’t fuck with.” 

“And didn’t interrupt,” added Chris, rather put out by the ‘right hand wolf’ quip. Randy shut up and allowed him to continue. “

“Barrett had a couple of kids, full blooded werewolves – they were born that way, not like the rest of us. Their mother was dead and they were only pups, usually the older boy would have taken over but he wasn’t old enough to even shave...”

Randy cleared his throat and Chris gave him an irritated look, but allowed the interruption. “Actually, the younger kid wasn’t his. Barrett spent some time in South Africa, ran with a pack there at some point. One of the women contacted him years later to say she was sick with something and she wasn’t getting any better, could he help? So he went over, bribed a few people to get the kid out of the country with him. If she recovered, I never heard about it. The kid lived with him until he died.”

“That’s right.” Chris frowned. “I’d forgotten that part. It’s been a long time. Anyway, the pack had no leader and no one knew how Barrett had died, the autopsy said it was a tumor but I’ve never known any of us to die like that...” He shrugged. “But we don’t have longer lifespans than humans do and we’ve gotta die of something so it might be true.”

“Didn’t the autopsy show he was one of us?” asked Cody, a little timidly since Chris wasn’t pleased with the interruptions. 

“No. There’s nothing to see when we die that shows it, unless there’s some abnormal chromosomes or some crap.” Chris was frowning, but didn’t seem to mind the question in spite of that. “We’ve never been identified that way. Just as well. If we’re living lives in the human world, then dropping off the radar spells trouble. Barrett died, there was an autopsy and a funeral. His wife died a couple years before that, he never did turn her, I don’t know why. She knew what he was and about all of us, but she just didn’t want to be a part of any of it. Wade and Gabriel got shipped off to some relative...”

“I’d forgotten their names,” admitted Randy.

“I had to really think about it even back then,” returned Chris. “Had to try to remember what Barrett called them when he talked about them and it took me ages because I tended to switch off a little. Barrett kept the kids away from the pack, said he didn’t think it was right to get them involved until they were teenagers at least. But they were long gone before that. There was some custody thing going on and with everything going on it was a while before it occurred to me that hiding what they were might not be so easy with people they didn’t know well. But by then, they’d disappeared. The family hired a PI, I paid, but he found exactly shit. But they’re not a part of the story, where ever they ended up.”

He rubbed a thumb over Evan’s knuckles. This really was going to be the hardest part of the telling. “Apart from Barrett there was me, Randy – when he was barely famous and was only a pup himself—“

Randy scowled.

“And then there was Edge and Christian,” he continued. “Almost as soon as Barrett died, Punk shows up saying he’s paying his respects. I don’t think I made a secret of wanting him gone. So he made some sly remark about who would benefit from Barrett’s death – who’d be leader – if he were dead and that they’d done something to cause it. With it being so sudden and all. And Edge took that idea and ran with it. There was a huge row, everyone getting into it. Edge accused me of somehow poisoning Barrett and Punk was just grinning like a fucking moron...”

“Until you punched him,” Randy interjected.

“Yeah.” Chris allowed himself a grim smile. “And damn if I didn’t enjoy it. He takes off, there wasn’t anything he could really do to make things worse. And Edge kept going on and on about it. With no leader there wasn’t going to be a resolution, so I challenged him to settle who would be leader the old fashioned way. Once and for all.”

“You fought over it?” Evan’s anxious question reminded Chris that he’d never told any of this to his mate, never wanting him to know... too late now. He was going to know everything and how much he believed of what Chris said was debateable – and it wasn’t so much Edge he was thinking of then as Christian, one of his best friends who had never looked at him without doubt in his eyes once the accusation of murder had been made.

“We fought,” agreed Chris, no pleasure in his voice at the memory. “We headed outside and before we even started, Christian told us that he wanted no part in any of it. He didn’t want to watch, he didn’t want to know who won, he was done with watching the pack tear apart. And then he was gone. He moved off the territory without speaking to me again, or Edge as far as I know” He looked over at Ted. “A lone wolf without a pack tends to get wanderlust. I swear it’s another one of those instincts, to find the place you belong. Only sometimes that’s what you’re running from.”

“Wait.” Evan pulled back slightly to look at Chris more clearly. “Edge is alive? I thought the pack leader battles went to the death?”

“Usually.” Chris shrugged. “It was a helluva fight, he nearly had me a few times but I was good and pissed and when I had my teeth at his throat, he was asking real loud for me not to kill him. And he’d been a part of the pack for almost as long as I had, we’d been friends after a fashion. And the other thing...” He looked his mate straight in the eye. “I’m not a fucking killer Ev, no matter what was said that night.”

Evan’s eyes grew wide with shock. “I know that! It never even crossed my mind it could be true!”

Chris stared at Evan a little longer, then dropped his gaze. “I know it wouldn’t Puppy.” He went as if to say something else, but Evan’s arms wrapped around him and for a moment he lost his train of thought. He’d been so worried about telling Evan about the accusations, but he should have known that Evan’s faith in him was unshakable. And he had rather skimmed over just how odd Barrett’s death had been. Maybe if Evan knew that, he wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss it – and there was the rest of the pack to consider. They might yet believe that Chris would be that ruthless, that determined to take over. 

Resting his hand on Evan’s back, he looked over the rest of the pack. He knew that Randy had never put much credence into the accusation and it seemed like John had already known most of the story, because he didn’t look surprised, nor did he look like he was suspicious. Ted and Cody were harder to read. Ted was frowning thoughtfully, but if Chris judged him right (and he usually did) then Ted was merely internalising everything, rather than suspecting him. While Cody just looked taken aback, like he didn’t know what to believe; although as the newest pack member, he didn’t know Chris well enough to say he wouldn’t. And he’d been pretty pushy and manipulative when it came to him and Ted.

“I told Edge he could stay and accept me being the Alpha, or he could take off and I wouldn’t stop him, as long as he stayed off our territory,” he continued, anxious now to get the whole thing off his chest and perhaps get a real drink – even thinking about Punk always made him want to do so in some kind of defiance at the other. Not that doing that would help matters. “He split. So, that’s more or less how Punk knows us, a little of why he’s got a grudge against us. And if he’s planning something then we have to be on guard against him.”


	12. Chapter Eleven: Low-Blow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An act of war is waged.

There was a quiet after Chris had finished speaking; four members of the pack (or, well, more specifically two given that John had had some idea of what had gone on in the pack’s past) needing a moment to begin to try and compose the thoughts that were running through their minds. Now that he had finished speaking Chris felt minutely better, but not by much, his eyes once more focused upon his mate. As far as Edge had been concerned there had been a big scandal surrounding Barrett’s death and Chris being the right-hand wolf, but it wasn’t… it wasn’t as clean-cut as that. Hell, even Chris didn’t know that much.

“You’ve got some whiskey, right Chris?” Randy rumbled in his low voice even as he stood from the sofa and then moved towards the drinks-cabinet that rested against the far wall. None of them were big drinkers because it took a lot to get them drunk, and also because when you had been drinking it was easier to lose control of yourself—and given that they had enhanced senses and strength etc. that was not something that they needed to be parading before humans. Nine times out of ten humans might not believe in them, but they did have an innate sense that they knew something wasn’t quite right with them. And, also, when they drank it was easier for them to lose control enough to change; even though it didn’t mean the change was easier to complete. As they had said before in their conversation: changing was not easy especially even when they were experiencing the full moon, though the moon did seem to give them a little bit of a push for it.

Nodding his head (even though Randy was already pouring a glass for himself and the alpha) Chris absently reached and accepted the glass when it was handed to him. The others might think that Randy didn’t get on with Chris, since they did happen to come to logger-heads with each other now and again, but he had nothing but the utmost respect for the man who had been keeping an eye out for him since he was young.

This time when Randy sat down John was the one to wrap his arms around the other man, Randy leaning into the embrace without question and downed the glass he had just poured himself in one swift movement. Cody found himself watching the action because it seemed so very human, and in these tense circumstances he could see that they really were still all vulnerable despite their virtual indestructibility. There had been a lot of admissions made in the past hour, hour and a half, and something told Cody that they had maybe all had they could take that evening. Maybe some rest would do them all good, some rest and food.

Speaking of food—Evan stood up and began making his way towards the kitchen. “We haven’t had chance to make anything big so is everyone Ok with sandwiches or something?” immediately everyone responded to the small male with affirmatives, everyone knowing they needed to eat to conserve whatever strength they had (especially now there was a seemingly a threat in the way) but everyone was so focused on what was going on that none of them were too focused on food right then.

Having a bad feeling about the way Evan seemed to be avoiding his eye Chris immediately stood to follow his mate when the other man went towards the kitchen, “Ev—“he started, nothing more heard as the pair of them vanished into the kitchen. Cody exhaled a breath, feeling Ted squeeze his hand and returning the gesture before looking to John and Randy opposite them. Randy was frowning and John’s usually smiling face carried a seriousness that was not normally visible. Even though he hadn’t known the men around him that long (bar Ted) he was bothered about the fact that they all seemed upset.

Was this what they all talked about when it came to the whole ‘pack-feelings’ and everything? Was it really so soon that these people would come to mean something for him even? It was a slightly disconcerting feeling but then at the same time he didn’t question himself for once about such feelings; now was not the time.

“Hey, you guys—“Cody started suddenly and then all cocked their heads in an eerily simultaneous movement which gave him a moment’s pause before he then carried on, “—what’s the deal with Evan? I mean, his back-story?” he had pretty much learned about everyone in the pack (Chris being the only born werewolf from what he could tell, Randy seemingly close to it since no one had elaborated on either of them) aside from the small man who had been the newest to the pack before he had come into the picture. He hadn’t been expecting John to suck in a slight breath as his eyes darted towards the door to the kitchen.

“Did I say something wrong?” he asked, brow furrowing, “I asked Evan the first time I came here but…” he noticed everyone seemed to wait to see what Evan had said to him, “—he said that I wouldn’t like him as much when I found out about his past.” Although, truth be told, Evan was too nice for Cody to ever consider disliking him. Being irritated by his cheerfulness might have been a possibility, but never dislike of the overall kind.

John sighed, looking to Ted and Randy, the two men looking back at him. Cody wondered what the big deal was, but then at the same time he told himself off for making himself seem dispassionate when he truly didn’t know what had resulted in Evan and Chris meeting, and Evan being turned… the other’s had said that Chris had an unnatural level of possessiveness and protectiveness over Evan and he wondered why. He figured that the faster he learnt stuff like this then the less likely he would be to put his foot in it with one of the other’s in the pack. “Look—“he started, but then John held up one of his large hands to silence him.

“It may not be our place to say, but Chris doesn’t like talking about it even a little bit and I know that Evan gets ashamed about his past too even though he truly has no reason to be, so maybe it is best that we fill you in—in case, y’know…” he trailed off.

To Cody’s surprise Ted was the one to pick up where John had started. “Evan ran away from an abusive family when he was only in his mid-to-late teens,” he said, his tone with a deliberate neutrality, but Cody could read the emotion in his mate’s eyes as well as John and Randy’s despite them being across the room from him, and the room was only illuminated by the fire in the large hearth at this point. “—he was desperate, stuck with hardly any qualifications and the prospect of a life on the street. The first time someone approached him with money, he said he had no idea what they wanted from him. He says he doesn’t remember it so much.” Already Cody sensed he wasn’t going to entirely like what he heard, his heart going out to Evan.

“Anyway, to cut a long story short he found himself being approached by more and more men. Always men, though occasionally women, and always older than him.” Randy growled out under his breath, “Dirty bastards.” And the other two men nodded pensively, the action so compelling that Cody repeated it even though truth-be-told he had missed the words given that he had been so focused upon what Ted was telling him. “He told us that at the time he was thinking if he got enough money to get himself back of his feet then he could find a real job instead of… money by convenience.” Ted said delicately, Cody aware that he had lowered his voice—though something told him that Evan and Chris may have heard anyway and were just staying in the kitchen to save Evan’s dignity as the others explained.

Randy was the one to pick up the story from there, “Chris was still pretty well into his career by this point, high on the charts and seemingly never going to slow down. By this point we’d had our Teddy in the pack for over a year, before he’d met you and obviously after I had found John. Anyway, Chris happened to be at a club with his band and a couple of ‘high profile friends’ when he happened to catch sight of Evan across the bar.”

“I had no idea what came over me, but the guy I had been hired by that evening was completely wiped from my mind with the rest of the club even though the music was loud, there were flashing lights everywhere and the guy was hardly giving me room to breathe let alone anything else.” Cody yelped slightly in surprise despite himself when Evan’s soft voice sounded from the doorway, John, Randy and Ted all dropping their heads in an embarrassed manner, as though expecting to be scolded or something. Evan moved back into the living room with a generous tray of multiple types of sandwiches, a slightly sad but accepting smile on his face. “Sorry Evvy,” John murmured softly, expression contrite. Evan merely waved a hand to dispel the concern. “It’s alright; I would have had to tell him eventually anyway, if just for curiosity’s sake.” He cleared his throat softly.

“Yes, I was a prostitute, and yes, when Chris first saw me I was with a, for want of a better word, ‘trick’. Like they told you though, as soon as I saw Chris—that was it. All I could see was him, all I could feel was the heat of his gaze…” Evan’s voice turned a little breathy with remembrance, eyes clouding a little with obvious emotion, “—and suddenly, the next thing I know he’s right in front of me telling the bloke that I was with that he better ‘fuck off if he knew what was good for him’. To say I was shocked would be an understatement; some gorgeous guy who I’d literally seen for less than five minutes was suddenly there in front of me and all but pulling me away from the handsy trick that I had resigned myself to spending the evening with.” Cody noticed that Chris had yet to appear, but figured that it was because he was a little—sensitive on the issues of his lover’s past. Not that Cody blamed him from the sound of it. “And then Chris was just there, and he was telling me I was spending the night with him…” Evan laughed softly and pointed at Randy, “Even to this day Randy can’t believe we didn’t sleep together that night.”

Randy snorted softly, “I bet you did—“it was obvious it was a light-hearted, familiar tease though, “—you just don’t wanna admit that you two got your jollies in an alley behind that club.” Evan stuck his tongue out at Randy, laughing and seeming completely at ease once more. Cody wondered how the other could be so at ease, but then at the same time supposed that if Evan hadn’t learnt to let go of everything then it would probably have only been awkward for the rest of the pack. “So, yes, no sex between Chris and I… for a good long while, actually,” Evan said, blushing slightly and then sending Randy a look when the other cracked a joke about Chris needing time in his old age, “—and he didn’t change me for over two years. I was asking for it sooner, but Chris wasn’t going to let me make the decision for such a thing unless I was well and truly sure, y’know, considering that it’s not something that you can undo once it’s been done.” As though summoned by his mate’s words Chris walked through the doorway and moved to where Evan was sitting, pulling the smaller man so that he was settled atop his lap. Evan barely flinched at the action, not even seeming embarrassed as though those around them watched. By this point the others had begun picking sandwiches from the plate Evan had made, Cody reaching for one absent-mindedly. No one brought up Evan’s passed, though Chris had probably heard the conversation in the hall.

The conversation was slightly stilted after that, but not touching on any of the more ‘intense’ topics that they had had that night already. It was dark outside by this point and Chris sighed softly before then saying, “I think we should all get some rest soon.” On any other occasion Randy would have said something about Chris being the one needing a curfew as opposed to them since he was all but pensioner worthy, but that night he sensed it just wasn’t the time of the place. Instead, feeling rather fatigued and bogged down with everything themselves, everyone nodded their heads and began to drift off in pairs, which of course prompted Cody to wonder whether he and Ted were going to be sharing the same room. He didn’t see why they wouldn’t, but then... 

It was still pretty new, the whole mate situation, and he wasn’t sure what the protocol would be. Randy and John were the first to depart, Randy with his arm around John’s waist and John’s strong arm around his shoulders. They seemed as preoccupied as the rest of them, Randy murmuring something into the other’s ear as they headed out. Ted looked to Cody out of the corner of his eye and sent him a silent look, the other responding with a nod of his head. Hand-in-hand they then stood, “We think we’ll be turning in too.”

Chris nodded his head, once more looking at Evan, and Evan sent them both a smile, “Goodnight guys.” Noticing the other’s lingering uncertainty in his eyes Cody then moved and kissed Evan’s cheek in a gentle, almost familial gesture and Evan startled slightly. Cody sent him a small smile and felt his chest tighten a little from the pure gratefulness in Evan’s eyes; something that he felt he didn’t deserve considering that the other man hadn’t done anything wrong, nothing that other people hadn’t done in far more bearable situations. Pulling back, slightly embarrassed about his action but not calling it back, Cody then hastened to Ted and let his hand merge with the other man’s once more. “You weren’t jealous about that one, were you?” he joked weakly, and Ted chuckled quietly.

Evan touched his cheek softly when the others were out of view, looking down at the floor. Chris placed his hand on his mate’s back, “Puppy…” he murmured lowly, the smaller man turning his dark head to look at the other, “Are you alright?” Evan sighed and nodded, reaching for Chris’ other hand and curling their fingers together. “Yeah, I’m fine.” It had been a long time since he had to bring up his old activities and he had forgotten how emotionally he was affected by it. Everyone else already knew, but knew him as he was now, not then—Cody hadn’t known him that long, and it was undeniably easy to imagine a stereotypical prostitute, regardless of the truth and circumstances. “It just… You were outside listening, weren’t you?” the smaller man arched a brow at his mate, knowing the answer already.

“Of course I did.” Chris eventually conceded after a few moments silence. “I would have thought that you would have just left John, Randy and Ted to do the explaining.” Evan shook his head slightly, “Well, lets be honest, they only know so much themselves.” Evan had never really gone into too much detail about it and none of the others had ever pestered him—both out of respect for their friend and also because they knew that their alpha would probably rip their voices boxes out for even considering it. “Do you remember the night we met?” the oddly nostalgic tone made Chris quirk a small smile before his expression turned serious, “I’ll never forget that night.” And that was a completely sincere thought as far as Chris was concerned: finding Evan had been the most profound moment he had ever experienced. “You’ve grown so much since then,” Chris cupped his mate’s cheek and then heaved a heavy sigh, “But you’re still so young… so innocent.”

Evan’s brow furrowed; wasn’t it something of a contradiction to call a prostitute of all things innocent? However, he knew that arguing with Chris would get him nowhere and so he merely sighed softly and nodded his head. “I know what you mean.” He had loved Chris from the moment their eyes had connected across the room, even if he hadn’t realised it until afterwards, and he knew that he wouldn’t stop loving Chris even until the day when he drew his last breath. “Shall we go to bed?” Chris asked and Evan nodded. Giving his mate a small, affectionate pat on the rump he then said, “I’ll be up in a minute, you go on.” He wanted to make sure the manor was locked up tight, the same as always.

When that had been taken care of, Chris paused slightly to lean against the wall, a hand covering his eyes as he heaved a heavy sigh. He had tried his hardest to keep the true magnitude of his emotions from the other members of the pack, Evan in particular, but at that point in time, alone in the dark room, Chris allowed himself a moment’s despondency. He had always hoped –somewhat foolishly he’d admit in retrospect- that this situation would never occur, but now that it had they had little time to lose. They needed to have some sort of defence plan in place. He wasn’t stupid enough to go picking a fight with this unknown pack because that would be essentially walking into an ambush. They were strong, but there was such a thing as arrogance.

When he entered their bedroom it was to see the low lamp on, Evan’s naked torso bathed a soft gold underneath the low lamp-light. It wasn’t a stretch to assume that Evan was naked, and Chris found he wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed with his lover and hold him all night long. He wanted to just go to sleep and put this evening’s events out of his mind completely. “You Ok?” Evan asked softly, this time turning the concern around on his mate. Chris nodded his head and began to strip; his tie, shirt, trousers, socks and boxers soon being piled without care on top of the nearby chair at the desk that they had across the room. Once he was naked he slid underneath the covers with Evan.

“Ev, Puppy, I need you to listen to me closely, Ok?” Chris murmured softly, arms going around Evan’s waist. Evan looked confused, slightly uneasy, but nodded his head and waited for his mate to elaborate. “I need you to stay in the manor as much as possible. If you must go out then I’ll go with you, or one of the others will—“he could foretell Evan’s protests before they even left those plush lips and he shook his head slightly. “Evan, please—you know I wouldn’t say this to you unless it was of the utmost importance. If you were alone and one of them happened upon you, though knowing Edge they wouldn’t have just the one there, then they would… they would—“he couldn’t even bring himself to finish the thought. He knew what Edge had always been like, and he knew that the other would never associate himself with others that had different views from himself.

“They’re not nice people, Evvy,” Chris sighed, opening his eyes to meet those chocolate pools of his mate’s, “—they will not hesitate to hurt you. In any way possible.” Especially if they found out that Evan was his mate. Although he and Edge had been tentative friends on occasion, they had never been close and he knew that the other Canadian had always been jealous of the way that old alpha Barrett had seemed to rely on Chris just that little bit more than any of the other members of the pack for certain things.

Sensing that Chris was getting closer and closer to freaking out Evan placed a gentle finger over his mate’s lips. “Ok, Chris, Ok.” Evan murmured softly, “If it’ll make you feel better then I’ll just stay home or go out with someone else, Ok?” Chris exhaled a breath, pressing a kiss to the finger that was covering his lips, giving his mate silent thanks for his cooperation.

On that note the older man held his mate close, the pair of them falling to sleep in one another’s arms. Well, to be more accurate Chris fell asleep with surprising ease whereas Evan found himself lying with his head against Chris’ chest, listening to the steady heartbeat. It angered him to consider Chris had been keeping so much from him, but then at the same time he understood why he kept mum.

The thought of something potentially threatening their little family filled him with an even stronger anger, but he forced himself to calm down as everyone knew that a decision motivated purely on emotion never ended well. It took him a long time to fall asleep but he eventually managed it, unaware that the two other couples within the manor had ended up sleeping in similar arrangements. They needed one another now more than ever because this threat was something brand-new to consider. Something personal.

~~~~~~~

“So, we’re agreed then?” Wade asked from his position atop the third double-bed in the room, he and Justin having brought it in from the adjoining room earlier on in the day after another snide comment from Edge. Sometimes it was hard to tell whether Edge was truly jealous of the fact that he and Justin seemed to gravitate together (understandable considering the circumstances) or whether he was just jealous of the fact that he wasn’t the one who seemed to garner the most attention overall.

“So,” Matt’s low voice sounded from where he was lain out with Jeff curled into him on the bed closest to the window, “—we’re going to have Angel-face,” Justin glowered lightly, “—get close to the little one and then use him to lure Chris out?” Punk sent Matt a look that was a cross between irritation and begrudging respect, “Have you ever noticed that you seem to have the ability to boil down the most involved plans down to the simplest form?” Matt knew the other man was trying to needle at him for it, but he didn’t rise to the bait. Sometimes Matt gave the appearance of absolute calm, but that’s all it was: an appearance.

Wade didn’t seem phased by the argument, though Justin noticed the slight tick in his jaw. Then, the Englishman turned to Justin, “You know what to do, right Angel?” Justin nodded his head, “I got it.” Wade stroked his fingers through the South African’s hair and his eyes closed at the action. It was dark out and they had all been up for a good while. “So, we’re pretty sure that they’re all at that little manor they have now?” they needed to be sure because they had to be aware of how many they needed to handle as swiftly as possible should something go wrong. “Pretty sure if our pissed off meat-puppet’s words were anything to go by earlier.”

The group shared a collective laugh at the expense of the Scotsman, who had called them earlier close to having an apoplectic fit over the fact that Cody had gone and Ted was missing too… and the logical explanation of those two missing was that they had returned to the manor. Soon, they too were settling down. They anticipated that Chris’ possessiveness over Evan would lead to a subconscious rebellion—and when they rebellion kicked in Justin would swoop in as his brand new ‘friend’.

~~~~~~~

Randy blinked himself awake, slightly disoriented. He was in bed with John and that was right – but he was at the manor and dark, which wasn’t usual at all, since in the darkness they would usually be in wolf form and running around outside. And he could tell from the sound of John’s heartbeat and breathing that the other was not sleeping, although he was lying perfectly still, probably for Randy’s benefit. Randy frowned, then the memories of the day before came back to him. Right, they were under some serious threat, or so Chris seemed to think, and Randy was inclined to agree. 

He moved slightly, his hand moving up John’s body from where it had been resting on his back to the crook of his neck, leaning up slightly and seeing John’s eyes turn to him in response. “John? What’s wrong?”

“I just can’t sleep,” said John quietly. “Don’t worry about it.”

The words only served to concern Randy more – John had sleepless nights on occasion and he’d frequently tell Randy not to worry, but Randy always did. Mostly because when John didn’t sleep there was something on his mind, some problem. Or he was brooding about the past. Leaning up on one elbow, he regarded John a moment. “Is it all this talk about Punk?”

John sighed, sounding slightly disgusted for being so transparent. “Mostly. I don’t like talking about it, you know that. I was a soldier for Gods sake and telling the others that I couldn’t even fend off one guy...”

“Who was far more used to his wolf form and caught you when you were recovering from a serious injury,” interjected Randy. This was an old conversation, one they’d had a time or two before, although not for a while; although John knew he had every reason not to feel that there was more he could have done, he still didn’t seem quite able to convince himself deep-down. “You know as well as I do that there’s very few people that can fight off a werewolf. We can crush a mans throat with our jaws, but you held him off.”

“I know.” John went quiet for a moment, thinking of the contrast between the first time he had seen Randy, jaws still bloodied from his attack on the enemy soldier and John having no idea that he was even a man and the first time he had laid eyes on Punk in wolf form, knowing what he really was and not nearly so defenceless. The difference had been that he hadn’t been afraid of Randy, even though he had just taken down an armed man without a problem and was making a beeline for John, whereas he had known from the moment Punk emerged from the bushes that the other had bad intent. “And I’m not the same as I was back then, I’m not weakened and I’m not a newbie. Thinking of him sniffing around Ted and Cody – that worries me. I know they’re not weak or anything like that, but they’re not...” He paused, trying to think of the right word. “They’d hesitate. They’d give him the opening, a chance to regroup and he’d seize on that. I don’t think either one knows how to be mercenary.”

“Unless their mate was threatened,” added Randy, idly stroking the skin of John’s jaw. 

“In those circumstances, perhaps. But I think they’d hesitate otherwise.”

Randy didn’t dispute him. In many ways, both Ted and Cody were very young. They had never been faced with this kind of situation before and he didn’t know how they’d react, no one knew for sure until such a situation was thrust upon them. 

“We’ve dealt with him before and if he shows his face again, this time he won’t be getting a chance to run,” Randy said, rather determinedly. “This time, we’ll put him down.”

“Chris already said he wasn’t able to kill—“

“No, Chris said that he couldn’t kill Edge. He was a pack brother, no matter what it had come down to by then adn I think he was hoping that Edge would just fall into line. He didn’t say it, but he hated the pack being torn apart like it was. He got very cold after he became leader, it’s only Evan who seems to have taken him back to the way he was before that – and that’s not the point. Maybe he hasn’t killed before, but he could rip Punk’s throat out without even feeling bad. So could I.” Randy paused a moment. “So could you. We’ve both killed before.”

“I’m not proud of it,” said John quietly. He didn’t really speak of those days in the army, but Randy knew of many of the things that John would never share with another soul. 

“Neither am I,” replied Randy. “But I’m not sorry either. What happened needed to happen. Same as this is going to happen, if Punk messes with us again. And who’s to say what the kids’ll do? Ted was joining the Marines, he used to hunt even before he was a werewolf – you remember the first time he took something down as a wolf? He would have taken that rabbit to a taxidermist, if it hadn’t been so mangled. And Cody...” He hesitated, Cody was still something of an unknown factor. “I think, knowing that he was protecting the pack and his mate, Cody would come to terms with it.”

“Killing a person stays with you though,” said John, his arm wrapping around Randy’s waist.

Randy thought back to the night he had thought John dead for a moment, the race to the spot where he heard the gunshot, the scent of blood, the sound of John’s laboured breathing filling him with both hope and righteous anger. The way the shooter had turned in his direction too late, the look on his face as Randy knocked him to the ground, the whimpered plea in the second before Randy had moved in and fastened his jaws around his throat...

“Yeah,” he agreed. “It does.”

They stayed in silence for long moments, still touching each other, needing the comfort. Then Randy leaned in to kiss his mates lips softly. “That’s not everything that’s bugging you.”

“You’re too fucking astute sometimes.”

“I’m not astute. I’m an Aries.”

“Yeah, don’t play the dumb card with me, I know you too well.” John’s eyes moved away from Randy’s face. “It’s all this talk about Edge.”

“Edge?” Randy’s voice was incredulous as an initial reaction, but thinking about it he should have known that John wouldn’t like it. After all, they were all very possessive of their mates and John was no exception to the rule. “John, Edge is so far into ancient history that I haven’t thought about him in about forever, until Chris mentioned him tonight.”

“You’ve never said all that much about him,” replied John, gaze returning to Randy’s, seeing the glint of his eyes even in the dark. “I didn’t realise until tonight that he was quite such an asshole.”

“To be fair to him, Chris wasn’t exactly Mister Reasonable,” said Randy, not wanting to upset John but knowing he should give a more balanced view than Chris had. “Chris was grieving and so was Edge, in his way and what Punk suggested set Edge off and Chris denied it so hard it made him look almost guilty.” He realised this might have been a tactical error at the frown that crossed John’s face. John would never appreciate any defence that Randy put in for Edge, regardless of how little it was.

John sat up, the sheets pooling around his waist, removing all illusions that this was just casual pillow talk. “He left the pack. Did he ask you to go with him?”

Slowly, Randy sat himself up too, knowing that he was treading on thin ground. Not that he thought that John would judge him on acts that had happened when he’d been so young, but he had to word everything just right. “Yeah, he asked me.”

“But you didn’t.”

“No.” Randy shrugged. “For one thing, I didn’t think Chris had done what Edge was accusing him of. For another, I didn’t really trust him. And for another, he could wheel out the ‘mates for life’ thing in one breath and claim it was all lies in the next. I didn’t know that I believed it back then, I kinda thought it was a lie. A myth. It was only much later on that I saw you and – you weren’t even looking at the car we were travelling in, you were busy with pedestrians and –“ He chuckled a little. “That was when I knew it wasn’t a lie, or a myth.”

John smiled a little. “But you two were involved—“

“We fucked.” Randy kept his words deliberately crass. “When the pack gathered. Lunar heat. But we were never involved in any other way, we weren’t exclusive or faithful. When it came down to it, I knew there was someone real waiting for me.”

John nodded, eyes focused on Randy. “We know that Punk probably didn’t plan to keep an eye out on Cody using his human. Could Edge have? That’s what Chris seemed to think.”

“Well... yeah.” Randy glanced away from John, feeling momentarily guilty by association. “Punk’s never shown this much planning before, he’s an opportunist. Whereas Edge creates his own opportunities. Getting in Drew’s ear seems like something he’d do.”

John’s hand on his face made Randy look around again. “Baby,” said John tenderly, moving forward so his head was resting against Randy’s shoulder. “I just needed to know.”

Randy’s hands went to John’s back once more, his fingers digging into flesh as John suddenly bit into Randy’s skin, deep enough to hurt... and leave a mark. Randy gave a slightly pained, slightly pleasured gasp at the sensation, exhaling as John released his grip. “Mine,” murmured John, a moment before letting his tongue lap at the wound he’d made. “All mine... and if Edge is really around, he’d better not forget that.”

Admittedly it turned Randy on something fierce when his lover displayed the possessiveness he usually tried to downplay to such a strong degree, but right then Randy knew neither of them were in the mood for some intimacy of the physical kind right then. “Let’s try and get a little more sleep.” John murmured softly once he had finished soothing Randy’s bite-mark, the younger man pulling John into his arms as he nodded. Randy couldn’t help feeling slightly guilty, as he looked at his mate’s profile when the other closed his eyes, that John considered his past with Edge such a threat, because it wasn’t. It really and truly wasn’t. It was just fucking, like he had told John, and there had never been anything more to it. And there definitely never would now he had John.

~~~

The following morning Evan could sense that he was awake before anyone else in the house, and he took a moment just to lie there, looking at the ceiling and listening to Chris’ deep and even breathing. His mate seemed much calmer now that he was sleeping soundly, though Evan could see lines of tension on Chris’ brow that were not usually present unless he was awake. The sight saddened Evan slightly when the younger man slowly, carefully sat upright to look down at the other. Chris’ hand was resting on his thigh and Evan knew that he was going to have to be careful when moving away otherwise he was going to disturb his mate—and Chris could have done with all the rest he could get given everything that had been going on recently. He gently eased himself from the bed, padding naked across their bedroom and entering the en-suite. Closing the door behind him Evan then proceeded to take a nice, hot shower that eased any lingering sleep-tension from his muscles, rejuvenating him.

Managing to change without waking his mate Evan sighed softly and headed downstairs. No one else seemed to be awake and momentarily Evan wondered about that before then remembering that the others had all arrived late last night and had effectively had to rush around to get there on top of their normal activities. The small man sighed, massaging his temples slightly; he couldn’t believe how much he had learnt last night about the man he loved, things that he never knew and things that he was pretty damned sure that Chris hadn’t even come close to mentioning before. Running a hand through his dark hair, Evan moved into the kitchen and then turned the kettle on. Feeling in the need of something sweet, despite how early it was, Evan got the hot chocolate mix out of the cupboard and made himself a piping mug; he had to finish it before Chris awoke because if his mate saw him drinking the sweet drink that Evan rarely touched because of how easily he could have a lot more than one mug, and when he was drinking it, it often meant that he had something on his mind. Absently he wondered whether he should start on breakfast then or whether he should wait until the others began to surface. He then decided to wait until everyone had awoken.

Sitting in the mini-conservatory they had leading off of their living room, Evan savoured the early morning sunlight. He supposed that it was a minor improvement to the unease he was feeling that the weather was nicer. Like all animals they were affected in some manner by good and bad weather, and Evan knew that when it rained he felt much more slovenly and inclined to being irritable than when it was sunny outside. When the ‘neutral’ phone that Chris had for people out of the pack to contact him on began to ring Evan was up like a shot to get the phone off of the cradle before the others in the house could be awoken by the sound. “Hello?” he said slowly, suspiciously. Immediately he recognised the voice on the other end of the line, but for a moment the name escaped him. “Evan?” the slight accent spoke his name and Evan responded slowly, “Yes?”

“It’s Justin,” Justin, from where he was sitting in the silent hotel-room with his pack all watching him intently, “—I don’t know if you remember me, but we met the other day… in Blockbuster.” Evan’s mind quickly brought forth the image of the strange wolf that had been on their territory and he felt a prickle down his spine even though they had no proof that Justin had anything to do with the new pack that was making its presence known. “Oh, yeah. I remember you. How are you?” Justin sent the other’s an imperceptible nod at to the fact that Evan hadn’t immediately put the phone down on him—they had all decided that should Evan (or any of the other members of his pack) put two-and-two together then the other man wouldn’t have even lingered on the phone past Justin’s introduction. “I’m good thank you, are you alright?” he made sure to have the right level of concern in his voice, “You sound a little stressed.” The small man sighed and Justin internally rejoiced at the prospect of ‘playing’ with the younger man when things went according to their plan.

“I’m fine.” Evan answered after a few moment, shaking himself slightly, “Is there something I can do for you?” Justin looked to Wade, suddenly uncertain about whether Evan would buy the cover story that they had come up with but the other man nodded and so Justin carried on regardless, “Actually, I was wondering whether you’d be able to meet me… I wanted to talk to you about your pack.” Immediately Evan’s suspicions were peaked, as they had expected, and Justin braced himself for the interrogation which –sure enough- followed. “What about my pack?” Justin pretended to sniff, as though he were close to crying, and he could all but feel Evan’s wavering emotions through the phone as Jeff pressed his face into Matt’s shoulder to prevent himself from laughing aloud and ruining the whole scheme of things. “I just… the people I considered pack, they just…”

“Justin, are you alright?” Evan asked softly and momentarily Justin felt bad for deceiving the young man. However, the emotion was short-lived and he fed Evan some story that his friends had begun fighting amongst themselves and how things had happened and now he was essentially left homeless and without anyone to rely on. When Evan inquired as to whether he had family Justin didn’t need to have any pretence because his honest answer of, “No, I’m an orphan—“was more than sufficient. The plan wasn’t to give him some way to get into the pack to infiltrate it or anything; the idea was to get Evan away from the manor and his pack so that they could get their hands on him without complications. “Justin, I don’t know if I can come and meet you alone…” Evan admitted reluctantly and Justin’s brow furrowed somewhat momentarily.

“Evan, what do you really expect me to do?” Justin tried to laugh it off, as though he didn’t know exactly why Evan’s pack was locking down on their security. “I’m not going to hurt you!” Well, not much, he amended mentally. Evan took a breath and then sighed down the phone, Justin sensing that all of his pack-brothers listening in on the call via speakerphone were holding their breaths as they listened, each of them knowing that if Evan refused to meet them then they would have to re-evaluate their overall strategy. And then, finally, the words they had wanted to hear left the other wolf’s lips, “Alright. Would it be possible for us to meet soon?” Justin grinned broadly but fought to keep his tone from giving too much away, “That is completely fine. Shall I meet you outside Blockbuster?”

Arranging to meet Evan within half an hour Justin hastened to get off of the bed and get ready, the other members of the pack telling him that they would be there waiting when they got back—Wade and Edge were going to be there in a car nearby to take the younger man down when Justin got him out of the public eye. They couldn’t have too many of them because that would make it too obvious and then that would blow all of their plans. Evan, meanwhile, was pulling on a jacket over his long-sleeve shirt and adding trainers to his ensemble of jeans, checking that he had his phone and his wallet securely in the pockets of the jacket and had those zipped up. Knowing that Chris would be angry, but knowing they’d never let him go regardless whether he had someone with him, Evan wrote a small note to tell his mate where he was before he then let himself out of the house. Not ten minutes after Evan had left, Chris had awoken and was headed downstairs.

Chris stopped in the bathroom before going downstairs, able to smell the scents Evan had left behind in their, soap and shampoo. He smiled a little, that meant his mate was up and about and while Chris would much rather wake with Evan, he was looking forward to going downstairs, probably finding him curled on their couch with a book or checking out the news on the laptop. And if this morning was like every other, Evan would glance up when he walked in the room and smile in that way that Chris couldn’t help but answer in kind. Of course, it had been a stressful time the night before and the look on Evan’s face might be more worried than anything else. 

But Evan wasn’t in the living room and Chris paused in the door, not even slightly concerned, figuring he must be in the kitchen, or maybe having an early bowl of cereal in the dining room. Perhaps even in the garden, although he didn’t see Evan through the window when he went to the dining room and looked out. He scented the air; Evan hadn’t been in there that morning and he wouldn’t have been in the study and didn’t use Chris’ studio unless Chris was messing around in there and Evan was watching. Which left the kitchen... although when he went in, Evan hadn’t wasn’t in there either. He frowned, a little thread of unease going through him. Evan wouldn’t have just left the manor, not after Chris had been so adamant about that he didn’t. And he’d been in the kitchen at some point, leaving an empty cup with barely a dribble of hot chocolate in there. Evan only really drank that when he was worried about something.

He could hear someone moving around upstairs but paid it no attention; he was starting to get concerned. Of course, Evan might still be on the property somewhere, running in the acres that belonged to the house and letting off some steam, but somehow Chris didn’t believe it. He closed his eyes a moment, took a breath and opened them again, moving with more purpose than he had been. When he first got downstairs he had been idly looking for his mate, this time he was actively hunting the scent. Evan had been in the kitchen but the stronger scent told him that Evan had left the room and headed back to the living room. Following the scent, he realised that Evan had sat in the conservatory for a while but he certainly wasn’t there now...

The note caught his eye, weighted down with a music award that it amused Chris to keep in there, folded in half with his name printed in large letters on the front. Chris would recognise Evan’s writing anywhere. He reached for it, feeling black dread rising in his throat. Even before he opened the paper, he knew just what it was going to say, and that Evan was gone. 

Cody’s friendly voice greeted him from the living room but Chris didn’t even register the latest addition to their pack as his eyes scanned the words in Evan’s neat script. An explanation of Justin calling, a brief mention of his pack woes. A bald statement of an agreement to meet at Blockbuster, followed by a quick and probably sincere apology. Ended with a declaration of love and Evan’s name. As he stared at the paper, Chris felt his heart plummet, his chest tighten. Instinct told him that there was more to this meeting than some man in trouble, that the only person in trouble was Evan himself. 

And so help him, if Evan was harmed, so much as bruised, then Chris was going to make anyone involved suffer horribly before they died at his hands. 

That thought cut through his momentary paralysis; he strode out of the conservatory and through the living room, disregarding Cody’s startled question and practically shoving the man out of the way, dropping the now-crumpled note at the same time. It was probably fortunate that he was already dressed, clad in trainers, jeans and a slightly greying shirt that was a relic of some long-past Ozzfest, because he gave it no thought at all as he raced from the manor, snatching his car keys on reflex. When he got to his car, he noticed that Evan’s was missing and a slight whine of panic left him – but he could tell by the scent Evan had left in the house that he had been gone maybe only fifteen minutes, not too long. And when he caught up to Evan, found him safe and unharmed, he was going to pull rank on his mate for the first time since they had met. He was going to order Evan to never leave the manor again.

He had the terrible feeling that it was too late for that.

Cody stared open-mouthed at Chris’ retreating back, unable to believe that the alpha had shoved him out of the way like he had. But he had been able to tell that Chris hadn’t even really seen him, the crash of the opening door only indicating that something was seriously out of whack here. Looking down at the note, he picked it up and read through the words, eyes suddenly widening. Chris had clearly been alarmed by the contents and given recent events, Evan could see why this would send him into a frenzy.

His sensitive ears picked up the gunning engine outside, the squeal of tyres as Chris sped from the manor, but by that point Cody was already running for the stairs. “Ted! TEDDY!”

Ted practically burst out of the room they were sharing, his alone for many years. “Codes?” He was only wearing jeans, his hair still wet from his shower and Cody appreciated the sight even through his concern. He picked up the sound of another door opening and although John and Randy’s room was out of sight of theirs, he knew that the other two had heard him shouting and were on their way.

Cody bounded up the stairs to meet Ted at the top, not even slightly breathless but thrusting the note at Ted anyway, thinking it would explain more than he could in a hurry. “Chris got it first,” he said urgently as both Randy and John rounded the corner, John shirtless in jeans and trainers while Randy had only just about managed to pull on boxers. “He’s gone.”

Ted ran a hand through his hair. “Fuck,” he murmured, turning to look at the other two. “Evan went off to meet this Justin that Chris said he ran into a few days ago. Alone. Chris has gone after him?” Cody nodded and Ted swore again, quietly.

“Why did he do that?” Randy’s voice held an angry demand for an answer. “He knows what’s going on and Chris would have told him to stay—“

“You know Ev,” said John, resting a hand on Randy’s arm. “He wants to help everyone. If someone feeds him a sob story, then he does all he can to help them out – and if this guy said he didn’t want to talk to anyone else, then Ev would go along with it to make him more comfortable.”

“And Chris has been very heavy-handed lately,” added Ted. “Maybe it’s a small rebellion, because you know Chris never gives him a pack-order. Not as alpha.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Randy glanced around at them all. “Meet at the cars in three minutes. We’re going after them.” And with that he strode back to his own room to pull on the first pair of pants and shirt he found, John joining him seconds later, so that they could go after their pack brother and if they were lucky, keep him from harm.


	13. Chapter Twelve: Countdown To A Showdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan is caught vulnerable by the enemy pack, and Chris is concerned for his wellbeing on more than one count. Cody 'enlists' the help of his ex in locating their foe, and Chris once again seeks confirmation that his pack is behind him all the way... No matter what.

At the moment Chris was reading his note, Evan was pulling into the car park. Blockbuster was located just off the road, the block of shops also containing a KFC, Indian takeaway, Pizza Hut and off-licence, the small parking area all but obscured from the main road by trees. At this time all the shops, including Blockbuster, were closed. There were three cars in the lot; two of them probably belonging to cleaning staff at one of the eateries, the third probably Justin’s – Evan could see him sitting on the curb that separated the car park from the shrubs planted around it. Pulling up near the man, Evan killed the engine and put the keys in his pocket, not bothering to lock the door when he stepped out, since he had no intention of going anywhere away from it.

Justin looked up as he drove into the car park, smiling a little as Evan got out of the car, although it was small and a little sad. Evan went over to him, sitting easily beside the man in spite of the low perch. “Hi.”

“Hey.” Justin looked at Evan’s car, seeming impressed. “You must have some good job in the human world.”

“It was a gift,” replied Evan, a little uncomfortably since he knew that as gifts went, a new car was a little extravagant and he didn’t want to discuss his relationship with Chris with this relative stranger.

“Someone must think a lot of you,” said Justin, almost slyly. Evan shot him a look, thinking that he heard a sly dig in the words, but Justin was just looking at the car and then dropped his gaze. And right away, Evan felt bad for his suspicions.

“Bad morning?”

“Yeah.” Justin pushed a hand through his slightly overgrown hair, tilting his head sideways so that he could look at Evan. “Things have been tense in the pack for a long while and it’s really just coming to a head right now.”

Evan breathed in the others scent unconsciously, realising he could smell several other wolves on him. That woke some memory in his mind, something about their conversation when they first met. “Weren’t you going to meet some friends, away from the pack?”

Justin gave a little chuckle, looking down a moment, but Evan thought he saw some flicker in the others eyes. “I lied to you,” said Justin flatly and then shrugged. “Sort of. I was going to meet friends, only I got called back to the pack – I stopped off in Blockbuster because I needed five minutes to work out if I was going back there or going on with my plans. Then I ran into you and remembered how important pack is. Maybe I shouldn’t have bothered.”

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” asked Ev gently. He heard the sound of a car slowing, ready to turn onto the short road that led to the car park and for a moment he wondered if it was Chris, having got his note and chased him out here. He suspected that Chris would do just that when he got it, but the engine belonged to some other vehicle, probably some gas-guzzling SUV by the sound. He paid it no mind. 

Justin looked him in the face, looking superficially troubled – but there was something in his eyes, some happy light. And he didn’t smell upset. Evan’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, although he tried not to show it openly. He was suddenly thinking that going alone, without anyone at all to back him up, had been a mistake. 

“It’s been going on for a while,” said Justin. “Our original alpha was a caretaker really, just waiting for the time when our real alpha was old enough to take over the pack. And there’s three other guys in the pack, a pair of brothers who’re just strange and this one guy who’s happier being a wolf than he is in human form. I could never make up my mind if I like him or not.”

Evan’s unease deepened. He’d heard someone else described in that fashion very recently – the night before, when they were talking about the guy who’d been sniffing after Cody and attacked John – and accused Chris of murder. Punk. 

The SUV pulled into the car park, Evan turning away from Justin a moment to watch its progress. The occupants seemed uninterested in them but Evan didn’t feel much better. He wasn’t sure that a couple of random strangers were going to stop anything that might happen. Subconsciously, he fixed his eyes on his car, the exit, considering his options should he need to flee.

He was distracted from planning and looking innocent when he felt the hand on his leg, dangerously high. Whipping his head around, Evan watched wide-eyed as Justin leaned slightly closer to him. The man’s expression had changed, the worry entirely gone and replaced with cunning amusement; the change reminded Evan of a talented actor suddenly dropping character and returning to themselves, which he supposed was what Justin had been doing all along. 

“I like you,” said Justin and Evan forcefully slapped the hand away, half-rising – but Justin was faster than he’d anticipated and the man was moving forward at the same time, knocking Evan to the floor on his back, hands pressing his wrists into the concrete as Justin leaned over him.

Evan glared at Justin for a moment, then turned his head to one side as he suddenly smelled some of the scents the werewolf had carried with him, much stronger this time, the sources nearby. The occupants of the SUV had got out of the vehicle, heading toward them purposefully – but Evan could smell the wolf in them and knew they weren’t here to help him. And Justin was holding him to the ground with his full weight. Evan had a sudden flashback to some night who-knew how long before, money having already changed hands in the moments before he was pressed into this exact position by a stranger he knew no better than Justin but had eventually turned out to be more honest, damp, excited breath on his neck while he tried to imagine himself somewhere else. It was tempting but dangerous, this wasn’t something that was going to be over in five minutes with the stranger gone and his body his own again.

Justin moved his face closer to Evan’s. “I told you I lied,” he said, as if this was supposed to make the whole incident somehow Evan’s fault. With a snarl, Evan turned his head back to Justin, knowing that he was pinned to the floor and using the nearest available weapon instead. Jerking his neck sharply upward, his forehead connected squarely with the bridge of Justin’s nose. 

The effect was immediate and everything Evan could have hoped for; Justin howled and threw himself backward, blood pouring from his nose. Evan scrambled to his feet, fetching Justin an accidental (but still satisfying) kick to the inner thigh as he did so, head turning to check where the others were. His overcoming Justin seemed to have spurred them because they were hurrying now, the dark haired man in the lead – and he had to be even taller than Randy, something Evan would have never expected to see in real life. His expression was grim, the blonde however seemed almost pleased. Evan had a sudden memory of the pack toying with their prey as an alternative to killing it and reacted instinctively, he turned to run and realised there was nowhere to run to in that direction.

A hand closed around his upper arm hard enough to leave bruises and a moment later he was yanked rudely to the side, released while off balance. Evan saved himself enough to land on his knees instead of his face, small stones digging into his palms as he immediately turned his head to look at his attacker. The big guy, towering above him, apparently debating whether to drag him back to his feet or give him a kick while he was down for his insubordination. Everything about him screamed alpha and Evan knew this was the leader of Justin’s pack. The one who was giving the orders to undermine Evan’s pack, usurp Evan’s mate. Harm Chris.

When Chris had taken Evan in, before he had turned him, he had insisted that Evan take self-defence classes. Evan had rather enjoyed the first but disliked the implications of needing to defend himself, as a result he’d moved on to martial arts and stuck with it until the time he’d been changed – being so much stronger than the average human and healing so rapidly had rendered his continuation a little pointless, or so he had thought at the time. But those lessons had stayed with him and seeing the face of the man threatening his mate, he sprang to his feet, feinted with his fists and delivered a kick when the taller man went to block him. It was possibly the best he’d ever delivered in his life and had every bit of his enhanced strength behind it; his foot connected with the man’s temple with enough force to take off the head of a normal human. The alpha was spun almost completely around by the blow, taking a shaky step toward Evan again – but his eyes had glazed over and he collapsed to the concrete, not out of things but certainly not in any position to go after him. 

That still hadn’t wiped the amusement from the blondes face, seemed to have added to it if anything. He had been standing behind the alpha, but now he stepped forward, tensed as if ready to give chase. Evan felt the reassuring weight of the car keys in his pocket, knowing that if he could just get past this one then he could make it to his car and maybe be home free...

The blonde raised his hand and Evan had just enough time to see something small in his hand and start raising his arms before the can was deployed. Evan could feel the gas against his forehead and eyes in the second before his arms covered them; in the second after, all he could feel was pain. His eyes burned, his vision clouding within a second and he was forced to close his eyes against the searing sensation, tears running down his face. The sharpened sense of smell that he’d become so used to was cut off completely, replaced by the odour of whatever he’d just been sprayed with clogging up his nose and mouth. He felt like he might be choking and he couldn’t see, couldn’t breathe, enough to make his escape...

A hand closed around his wrist, ripping his hand away from his face and he felt another blast of the gas – mace, it had to be mace, nothing else could possibly have this kind of effect on him – in his face. This time he whined, trying to make some kind of escape even though he had no way of knowing what direction he was heading in. He made it exactly two steps before a hand connected with his chest and shoved him backward, hard, saved from falling by arms wrapping around his chest and upper arms. Judging by the broadness of the chest he found his back against, it had to be the alpha, not that Evan was thinking too much about the who at that point.

“Feisty little bugger, in’e?” The voice spoke almost directly into Evan’s ear, the person preventing him from clawing at his face to try to eliminate the substance causing the hurt.

“Yeah, well, you almost lost him Wade.” This voice from in front of him, sounding mild but with a clear warning tone in it. “You underestimated him.”

“I won’t be doing it twice—“

“He broke my nose!” Justin, sounding somewhere off to Evan’s left. 

“He’s only playing with you Angel.” The man holding him again. “And remember, we promised you could be the first to play with him.”

Evan didn’t know what that meant, only that he didn’t like the sound of it at all. He began to struggle in the man’s grip, trying to blink his eyes open. Neither action did any good; he was held to the spot and trying to open his eyes gave him only a brief, colourful film and a whole lot of pain, which was starting to fade a little but not nearly enough. 

“We’d better get going.” That from the voice in front of him, presumably the blonde. “If I were Jericho, I wouldn’t be letting this one out of my sight for long.” Evan felt a finger run along his cheek and turned his head to snap at it, teeth closing on empty air and hearing a chuckle a moment later. The touch came again, this time on his throat, going to the collar of his long-sleeved shirt and suddenly tugging, hard. The fabric tore and Evan felt the cool wind against his stomach, the whole item hanging in shreds by the time the aggressor had finished.

“Just leaving Jericho a souvenir,” said the blonde, raising a laugh from the other two.

Evan was lifted apparently effortlessly, only adding to the indignity he felt at the situation – although the indignity was the least of his concerns. This was the pack who had been after Cody and Ted, he hardly needed to be a rocket scientist to work that out. They’d been looking for a way in, a weak link, then set a trap. And Evan had fallen neatly into it. He didn’t cease his struggles until he was thrown into the back of the SUV, two of the three getting in the back with him. Thanks to his rapid healing he could feel the pain diminishing, his breath starting to come a little easier as the effects of the mace cleared and as the engine started up, he managed to open his eyes fractionally. They still burned and his vision was wavering, but at least he could see something.

Justin was on his left, cleaning the last of the blood off his face although he had already stopped bleeding and his nose didn’t look as swollen as it probably should. Evan shot him a look of pure hatred before glancing into the front seat to see the alpha driving and then turning to his other side to see the blonde, looking back at him levelly. Chris’ impassioned words the night before came back to him, about how Evan was at risk because of their relationship and Chris’ alpha status, how there was at least one person who would stop at nothing to harm Evan because it was the best way of getting to him.

“Jericho kept you hidden away pretty well,” said the blonde under Evan’s scrutiny. “Me and him are – old friends, from way back. Maybe he mentioned me.” The man’s grin became predatory. “My name’s Edge.”

~:~

They hadn’t needed the three minutes they’d been given, it had been less than two before all four remaining pack members were out by Randy’s car. That was the one they took by unspoken agreement, letting Randy take the wheel in spite of his obvious agitation. John would have put it down to Randy’s need to be in control when things were difficult, but the truth was that he was the best driver out of all of them and the least likely to give a shot about the rules of the road. He sped as fast as he could manage in the light traffic, causing several other motorists to send him hand gestures and curses, all of which he completely ignored. He had been around the area long enough to know the fastest way to their destination and as soon as he pulled in, stopping the vehicle with an impressive handbrake skid that would have had John ranting under any other circumstances, he knew none of that had made a difference. They were too late.

Chris’ car was at a drunken angle near to Evan’s, the door of the younger man’s vehicle thrown open and left that way. Chris himself was stood some distance from it, his back to them, head lowered as if he was looking at something. There was something in his hand but Randy didn’t give it much thought as the four of them piled out of the car and raced to their leaders side. 

Randy glanced down at the concrete where Chris’ gaze was fixed, eyes narrowing at what he saw there. Blood, large, fresh splotches, as if some injured person had been crawling there very recently – but he could smell the blood separate from any other smells and knew right away it wasn’t Evan’s. It wasn’t familiar at all. But he could smell Evan’s presence as well, another strong scent of something chemical he didn’t recognise. Other smells too, two werewolves who he would swear he hadn’t come across before and yet there was something maddeningly familiar about them. And one more, this one he definitely did recognise.

“Chris...”

Chris turned to look at them and Randy almost took a step back. Chris’ hair was in disarray from where he’d been running his hands through it in agitation, his eyes showed fear and fury at war, his body tensed for attack. He looked wild. Randy had seen Chris like this only once before and that had been the night that he’d taken control of the pack. 

“I got here too late,” growled Chris and through the rage in the words, Randy could detect the black despair. “And I can smell him all over here. Evan and – and Edge.”

John was already following the scents left behind, pausing at a spot before running back over to them. “Trail ends there. They took a car.”

“We can’t track a car,” returned Ted, his own upset ringing through in his tone and causing Cody to reach out and link their hands. “Not through scent.”

John reached out and took Chris by the shoulders, a move Randy wasn’t sure he’d have the balls to do at that moment. But aside from a slight snarl, Chris didn’t do anything to discourage the move. “Look, we have one option left now. They have our number, Justin called it. They’ll call it again. They took him for a reason.” He didn’t add that the reason was Chris. He didn’t need to.

“We do have another lead,” said Cody unexpectedly. The pack looked over at him and Cody frowned, eyes cold. His hand tightened reflexively in Ted’s. “We know one person who’s been able to get in touch with them. Drew. And I say we track him down and if we have to, beat the information out of him.”

John’s brows rose slightly at Cody’s words; it had always seemed that the other man had always been somewhat protective of Drew, but that had been because they had assumed that he was a normal human and knew nothing about their species other than the ridiculous interpretations from films and books that only came fleetingly close to any truths. Ted turned to look at his mate, “Cody, are you sure you—“he didn’t even need to finish the question before his mate sent him a look that left him in to no doubt how Cody was feeling. If it got Evan back Cody knew he’d be willing to do anything.

“Where will he be?” Chris asked without preamble. Cody turned towards the other and exhaled, “Well, we’re gonna have to drive and get him… unless I call him and see if I can get him to come closer here.” Or, for all they knew he could be heading towards this new pack already? “Call him.” Chris said—and for once Cody let the demanding nature go because he could all but see how terrified and angry Chris was with his mate missing from the picture with potentially (maybe not potentially, completely) and knew that had he been the one with the missing mate he would have been nigh-on hysterical. “Ok.” He pulled his mobile out of his pocket and placed it on speakerphone before dialling Drew’s number; Ted gave a minute twitch at the act, a reflex that he couldn’t have stopped given that Cody was so damned important to him and this man was dangerous and had intimate knowledge of Cody.

When the Scottish accent sounded down the phone, Cody adopted his most pathetic-poor-me-I-need-help tone to entice the other man in, “Drew, please, can you come here as soon as possible?” Cody did feel somewhat bad about deceiving Drew like this… but then he recalled what could possibly be happening to Evan at that moment in time and all sympathy went out of the window. “Tell him to come to the village.” Chris murmured his low voice almost inaudible to Cody’s advanced ears so there was no way that Drew could have heard him. Obediently Cody did as he was told, spinning some sob story about something that had happened with Ted, which Drew immediately swallowed.

“He sounds like a piece of work,” John muttered slightly at the easy way Drew believed Cody would just fall back into his arms after everything he had done, and how Cody had pretty much told him that he was genuinely in love with someone else… if he recalled what Cody had said the night before correctly, although truth be told he couldn’t think of anything much right then but their Evan. Evan was so sweet, so innocent despite everything he had seen and done in his lifetime, and considering how unstable a good variety of that pack seemed to be from who they knew were there, something told him that something bad was going to happen to Evan… worse than his kidnapping. His stomach tightened unbearably and he felt the urge to throw-up, his hand seeking Randy’s and tightly taking hold of it. However, out of respect for Chris’ feelings and the fact that his mate was currently in danger the two men made sure that their hands were behind their backs as much as possible with their positioning to keep them hidden.

“We need to go closer to the edge of town—“Chris said, seemingly pained as he spoke the nickname of the man who had contributed to the abduction of his Puppy, even if it had been a completely inadvertent and unconnected utterance. Randy reached, giving Chris’ shoulder a squeeze, “We’ll find him, Chris.” Randy rumbled lowly, a flame of vengeance growing in his eyes with each moment. John, Ted and Cody all nodded their heads in immediate agreement of Randy’s words. Although he really did appreciate the conviction that they were all showing Chris could do little more than nod to acknowledge their words because he was so close to freaking out—and he knew that if he lost control then he was going to be no good to anyone and that would inevitably mean that he left Evan in more danger. Under other circumstances the others may have been annoyed by the lack of response, but as it was they could all understand. Taking a breath, Chris dragged his hands through his hair and then scrubbed them roughly over his face before then shaking his head and straightening his posture. “Ok, let’s go. The only way into town is past the pharmacy, so if we have Cody meet him there and then bring him to the woods…” Chris didn’t want the filthy traitorous, delusional man near their home, and he didn’t need anyone hearing screams on their property.

Cody nodded, moving with Ted to his lover’s car so Ted could drive him across right away so that they could be in position for Drew’s arrival. “We’ll go back to the mansion.” Chris said to John and Randy, both men nodding their heads to the alpha’s words before then heading back to their own car. As they drove out of sight Chris closed his eyes, looking to the blood-spatter on the pavement. He knew that it wasn’t Evan’s, but he knew that Evan had been on that spot, near that spot, had tried to fight to get away from the people there as soon as he realised something was wrong… the ache in his chest increased and Chris had the momentary urge to double-over with the intensity of it, the sense of concern, fear and guilt choking him. Forcing himself to push those feelings aside for now he then hastened to get into his own car and back to the manor.

Meanwhile, in the car with Ted, Cody held the elder’s hand, concern in his eyes. “Teddy…” he didn’t even need to continue, his tone telling it all, Ted giving his hand a squeeze and then bringing it up to press the back of it against his cheek. “I know, Code…” he murmured softly, “I know.” He met Cody’s eyes and nodded firmly, “We’re going to get him back, and we’re going to make them pay for what they have done.” Cody nodded, taking a breath and closing his eyes momentarily, “I can’t believe they would…” Ted growled softly, looking disgusted at the thought of the semi-known pack, “Oh, there are some that would stoop to such lengths, Cody. They don’t deserve the right to even draw breath, beasts like them.” Cody had to admit, even though he was internally feeling as Ted said that he was startled to hear the other talk like that because Ted rarely ever advocated violence as something that was acceptable. “Drew might not know…” Cody said reluctantly, his eyes searching Ted’s face as he said the words, “I know,” Ted conceded, “-but at least it’s somewhere to start, right?”

~:~

“He mentioned you a little.” Evan admitted with a definite petulance and annoyance, eyes narrowing as he looked at the other man. However, much to his annoyance Edge seemed pleased with the animosity more-so than anything and so the effect of his glare was lost on the other man. “Can’t exactly say it was overly favourable though.” He sneered a little and Edge threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, you poor thing!” Edge cooed mockingly, Evan feeling the urge to bare his teeth at the words. “He’s really gotten to you, hasn’t he?” Evan had no idea what that meant, and he really didn’t want to know. The young man had no idea really how long they had been driving for by that point in time. On the one hand it seemed like forever, but then on the other it seemed like a short time indeed.

Wade was driving and so that meant that Edge was free to look back at him from the passenger-side seat alongside Justin. Evan wished he wouldn’t. The blonde man pulled the can of mace from his jacket pocket and Evan immediately tried to flatten himself back against the boot to avoid the spray, his eyes still not entirely recovered from the first blast of the god-awful concoction, although they were improving with each passing minute. Justin was delighted by the heaving of the toned, compact torso, as well as the slightly ragged breaths that fell from the plush lips the small man possessed despite his best efforts to make himself seem as calm as possible. Edge could all but taste the fear beginning to build in the young man at the thought of being incapacitated again in such a manner and he licked his lips slightly. Oh, he was going to enjoy each and every second of this in many, many ways.

“Now then, little one—“Evan frowned at the words but none of them acknowledged the low growl of warning at the familiarity the stranger was showing to him, which was setting off all his instincts that he had to get away from these people and back to Chris. God, he had never been so frightened in all his life, even when he had been little more than a kid on the streets suckered into a life not fit for mention in polite society, than he was in that moment. He wanted nothing more than to run back to Chris and bury himself in the strong, protective arms of his mate and beg forgiveness for allowing himself to be duped so easily. Tears of frustration at how easily he was taken advantage of shone in his eyes, but Evan had much more pride and dignity than that and he refused to let them fall. He might have been caught out this time but he’d be damned if he’d give any of these bastards the satisfaction of seeing him cry. He realised that Edge was talking to him again and figured that he should pay attention to what was being said.

“—so if you behave yourself when we go inside then we won’t have to hurt you.” Edge clucked his tongue and wagged his index-finger in Evan’s face, the younger man resisting the urge to snap at it as he was chastised like a mischievous puppy, “But if you cause a scene for us then we’re going to have to be rough with you, understood?” when Evan refused to acknowledge the words spoken to him Edge lifted the can threateningly before Evan nodded his head as hard as he dared given that it was still feeling somewhat tender from where he had slammed it on the floor earlier on when Justin had tackled him. On that note Wade was removing the zippered jacket that he wore, handing it to Justin over the seat without looking back from where he was parking the car. Justin placed the coat on Evan, the younger man feeling his stomach rolling with each deliberate caress of the dark-skinned man’s fingers.

When Chris found out that they had been touching him, at all let alone in the blatantly suggestive manner that the foreign man was doing, he was going to freak out. Evan didn’t think it was too much of an exaggeration to consider that as far as his mate was concerned World War III would follow Evan’s treatment at the hands of these men. Once the jacket was zippered and Evan’s torso was hidden from view (humans were so weird about people walking around exposed in any manner unless in certain situations) they then got out of the car –Justin pulling Evan along and keeping the smaller man firmly at his side with a low warning of harm befalling his pack if he misbehaved, as well as harm befalling him. Helpless and frustrated, Evan had no choice but to fall into step with the man after Wade had locked the car, he and Edge walking behind he and Justin, no doubt to prevent him from escaping, but even though he wanted to do that more than anything he was in no condition to do so… plus it was much too public.

He didn’t recognise the area of the hotel he was being walked into, the three men bypassing straight by the reception and heading into the lift. Evan felt his stomach drop as the lift doors closed behind them, shutting off his view of the obviously concerned and confused hotel employee who had been looking at them warily as they had come in. Evan wished he could have called out to the man to help, found some way to get a message to the man that he could call Chris with, but it was impossible and much too risky for the chap in question also… Chris and Randy had said, and John recalling what had been said the night before about one of the so-called pack individually, that these people would not hesitate to hurt the innocent. That was something that a tender heart like Evan would never bear to have on his conscience. He had seen, and had been the recipient of violence in his past, but he had been completely free and protected since Chris had come into his life, so to some degree he actually couldn’t imagine or anticipate just how much trouble he was in. The lift gave a quiet ‘ding!’ when they reached the floor his kidnapers apparently wanted, Justin pushing him out.

Stumbling slightly –and scowling hard when he heard three individual snickers behind him- Evan then felt his stomach bottom-out with renewed unease when he sensed that there were another three individuals behind the door of the suite that he was being directed towards. Shit, and one of them had to be the Punk character that his lover and the others had mentioned yesterday. Was it too much to hope that maybe one of the ones behind the door would have some semblance of compassion and sanity? Yes, yes it was. The door opened and once more Evan felt Justin’s hands on him as the other man tugged him further into the large room, cooing, “Look what we found—a little lost cub!” someone from the bed laughed.

Momentarily Evan had the urge to flatten himself backwards against the wall when he took in the multi-colour-headed young man on the bed, a similar looking but much more conservative dark haired man besides him, another man sitting on a chair across the room with a bottle of Pepsi in his hand with a straw. Out of all of the people who were surrounding him in the room the one who made the fine hairs on the back of his arms and neck stand up was the one with the drink in hand and the almost innocent smile on his lips. Not even being stood next to the man had his radar going like crazy.

“Aww, he is a cutie, isn’t he Matty?” the rainbow-headed man stood from the bed, moving towards him. To Evan’s surprise (and discomfort) Justin growled and pulled him closer, “Back off, Jeffy! I get to play with him first, and you’re not joining us!” Ok, this talk of play was making him really uneasy… because if the looks in his captors’ eyes and the scent shift that had accompanied them was anything to do by, he wasn’t going to enjoy what they had in mind even a little bit. Oh Lord, he wanted nothing more than to be back at the manor with Chris and the others. He was never going to live this down, he knew, but there was something more frightening than the possible assaults that he may be about to be put through: was Chris ever going to forgive him for disobeying him? Granted, in one sense he was given a little lenience considering that Chris hadn’t ordered him as an alpha to a beta… but at the same time that made it all the worse. Because Chris had asked him as a lover.

He could just imagine how his lover was freaking out right now –since he had no doubt that by now they would have all awoken and discovered him missing- and the thought made his heart ache. He was so lost in his thoughts of Chris and how the other was probably going to hate him from now on that he didn’t even realise that this Punk character was before him until his hand took his chin. There was a part of Evan that toyed with the idea of merely transforming and savaging this group before they could do anything to him, but he knew that he would never be able to go through with it. He was much too soft; Randy had always teased him about having no bad-ass instincts but at that moment in time Evan was seriously wondering whether he would have been less gullible or harder to capture if he weren’t such a compassionate and understanding person. He could toy with “What If’s?” all he wanted but they wouldn’t change his current situation and he had to focus, to keep himself from breaking.

“Chris is going to destroy you all.” he said, his voice much calmer than his pounding heartbeat as he looked Punk square in the eye. To his consternation however the bastard merely laughed at him. “Oh, you’d like to think so wouldn’t you? What makes you think he’ll come for you?” the question had a momentary flicker of uncertainty running through him—a thought that he shook away violently before immediately rebuking with, “He’s my mate and he loves me—of course he’s going to come for me.” And, just like the other time he had mentioned being a mate, mocking coos sounded around him; they were making him feel as though he was some little kid. The one he had surmised was Punk patted his hair in a condescending manner that made Evan growl, “You poor disillusioned child!” Evan was reminded of those scary wannabe-ministers and suchlike that sometimes appeared on TV to tell people they were ‘lost sheep’ and ‘misguided sinners.’

“He has done a number on you, hasn’t he?” Punk’s smile was supposedly sweet at face value, but Evan had a cold feeling of dread run down his spine at the malicious glee in Punk’s eyes, “But don’t worry—we’re all here to help you. We’ll show you that there’s no such thing as mates, and that we’re a higher species than the meat-puppets we’re forced to bend over backwards to accommodate.” Before the man could say anything more Evan heard a slightly petulant whine from Justin, “Wade, let me play with him—I want to play with him so bad.” Wade (the former pack leader’s son? Had he gotten it right?) gave Justin an indulgent smirk and then nodded his head, “Alright, Angel, you can take him in there and… get acquainted with him—“there was many a lecherous look in the room at the prospect of seeing/imagining Evan and Justin as the South African began to pull Evan to the adjoining room. As the door went to close behind them he saw Edge hand something to Wade: his mobile phone. When had they gotten that off of him? 

~~~~~~

“What the hell’s gaein-on here?” in his panic Drew’s Scottish brogue came out thicker than ever and momentarily the assembled pack struggled to understand him; the fear exuding off of Drew in a manner so strong they could almost smell it made it much easier to put two-and-two together though. Drew’s wild eyes sought out Cody, immediately trying to beseech his newly ex-lover to save him from the intense looking group of men who were all much more built and indestructible than he was. “Cody, yeh carn’t let them do this t’me!” Drew called desperately to where Cody stood across the room, Chris pacing before Drew and John and Randy both stood just behind the man’s chair. Ted was at Cody’s side, unmoving and unsympathetic to the plight of Cody’s ex—and not just because he was Cody’s ex.

Chris settled himself on a chair that was positioned so that the back was facing Drew, his expression as casual as you please. “I want to know where the people who got in touch with you are,” he said without preamble, “—and you aren’t going anywhere until you tell me exactly what I want to know.” Although Chris was still tense as anything, his heart-rate a touch too quick even by their standards, his hair still a mess, but he seemed as though he was calm as anything when he spoke. Drew swallowed hard; the bravado that he had been carrying since he had been abducted by Cody and Ted falling even faster when Chris actually spoke to him as opposed to all of the men just standing there and doing their best to look like they were intimidating.

“I ain’t tellin’ you anything!” Drew sneered which was an incredibly stupid move on his part. It seemed that Randy had been the only one anticipating the backhand that followed; Drew’s head rocking with the force of the blow almost unnervingly even though those assembled knew that Chris had just displayed barely a fraction on his true strength. “That wasn’t what I wanted to hear.” The blondette growled at the frightened Scotsman, blood trickling from Drew’s nose a little from the force of Chris’ blow—he could have sworn that he even felt his teeth rattle. It was almost imperceptible unless you were really, really looking at him, but Chris’ hands were shaking with his effort to keep himself in check and those assembled knew that they were there for Drew’s protection almost as much as the scare factor; despite the circumstances Chris would never forgive himself for losing his humanity enough to actually attack Drew… although from the looks of things that acknowledgement-from-his-conscience probably wouldn’t be listened to until Evan was returned safely to them. When the silence stretched Chris brought his hand up again, and the bound Scotsman nearly tipped the chair over as he startled.

“I don’t know where they are!” he all but cried and Randy snorted as he moved with John to stand behind Chris instead. Without really thinking about it Cody moved with Ted to fall into line besides them—and even then Drew had the balls to actually give Ted a dirty look before returning his terrified gaze to Chris. The message was obvious: no one here was going to step in on Drew’s behalf unless things were very, very bad. “Oh really? Why do I not believe you?” Chris’ eyes hardened and Drew blanched as the man’s lip drew back over his teeth in a very animalistic gesture. “I don’t know where they are! I swear I don’t know where they are!” that confused Cody somewhat and he couldn’t help cutting in, “But if you don’t know where they are then how was I supposed to meet this Punk guy?” Drew focused his attention upon Cody; the weird emotions visible in his dark eyes had Ted stepping closer to Cody protectively.

“I was just gonna ring Punk and tell him where we were—he was going to meet us.” Chris didn’t believe this for one moment that Punk would have been quite so gentle in his approach and he was about to make this view known when his phone began to ring. The sound seemed to make everyone in the room freeze; their eyes widening, apart from Drew’s, as they realised whose ringtone was playing. In his haste to get to the mobile Chris almost fell over, Drew’s laughter becoming short-lived when Randy sent him the deadliest, most predatory glare that he had seen yet. Phone in his hand Chris hastened to answer the call, immediately putting it on speakerphone, “Evan? Evvy, Puppy, baby, talk to me—“the pet-names fell from his lips automatically in his desperation to hear how his mate was doing, to ask him what had happened and demand to know where he was so they could damn well go get him. However, the voice that answered was not the soft Missouri drawl that Evan carried. It was a thick English accent. “Hullo Chris, remember me?”

For a moment Chris had a feeling of déjà vu so strong that it almost knocked him flat, the voice taking him back with an almost hallucinatory quality. The voice, the accent, even the words – exactly what Barrett used to say to him back in the day, when he had neglected to spend the full moon with the rest of the pack. It had been rare that he hadn’t, sometimes missing only a day, but every time Barrett had called him up and used those exact same words, as if he’d forgotten them rather than been tied up with something else. Accompanying the memory was a sense of dread, as if the former pack leaders ghost had risen up to join the accusations that had been made at the time of his demise. He was briefly speechless, enough time for a calm voice from his subconscious to tell him that losing Evan was driving him insane.

The thought of Evan was enough to bring him back to the present moment – he needed to deal with this. He needed to help his mate, no matter what the personal cost was. He took a breath, trying to force his voice to sound calm and modulated, glad that the phone meant his snarl couldn’t be seen. “Wade. Long time.” And how the hell had Wade gotten caught up in all this? He had never anticipated the man’s involvement – and he would be a man by now. He had an image of the tall, solemn young boy and the permanent shadow that was his adopted brother, trying to imagine what he might be like now. He couldn’t do it. “Where’s Evan?”

Wade laughed. “Your Puppy is with our pack. He might as well get acquainted with them, since they’ll be his pack soon enough. Your days as pack leader are over Chris.”

Chris didn’t care even slightly about that. Wade could have the pack leader mantle, he could take Chris’ house, his vast bank account, his most prized possessions, the shirt off his fucking back. All Chris cared about was getting Evan back again, unharmed and was ready to say so when Wade overrode anything he might have said. 

“Justin took a real liking to him when they met,” Wade continued, voice laden with suggestiveness. “They’re ‘playing’ in the other room so us grown-ups can talk.” There was a ripple of laughter from Wade’s end of the phone and Chris felt his jaw tensing in understanding. “Puppy broke Justin’s nose earlier. I don’t think he’s in the mood to play nice anymore.”

The growl rising in Chris’ throat at the thought barely became audible when he suddenly felt a hand cover his mouth. Instinctively he raised a hand to snatch it away and attack, before hearing Randy’s voice in his ear, low, quick and urgent. “Don’t give him the satisfaction Chris, he’s trying to get to you.”

The growl tapered off a little as Chris realised he was right, but that didn’t mean that the predatory instincts weren’t close to the surface. Clenching his fists and pushing Randy’s hand away from his mouth, he spoke. “Justin, huh? I take it you’re introducing newbie’s to your pack then.”

This time, there was no mistaking the amused laughter from the other end of the line and Chris had to assume that Wade too was on the speakerphone. “It’s just as well he’s entertaining Evan,” said Wade jovially. “He’d be so hurt that you don’t remember who he is. Poor kid lost his family at an early age, liked to use his surname as a kind of link to them. It was only when his adoptive father died he went back to using his first name.” Wade’s voice got a lot less happy the more he said, barely repressed anger in his tone by this time. “We used to call him Gabriel.”

Chris glanced at Randy, his own startlement reflected back at him showing that this was news to the other man as well. Chris felt bitter recrimination welling up in him. If only he’d known, he would have made the link between Evan’s mysterious stranger and the child he barely remembered... he could have prevented this. He should have prevented this. 

“But it’s not like we mattered to you,” Wade went on relentlessly. “You had your sights set on being pack leader – and killed my father to get it. Hope it was worth it while it lasted, because you’re gonna pay for that. With your life. Or maybe your Puppy’s life.”

“Don’t you dare lay a finger on him—“

“I should do it, so that you know how it feels to lose your family,” Wade cut in. “But I’m going to be generous, if only because the rest of the pack seems to have taken a shine to him. Jeff’s rather pouting because he wants to play too – and Punk’s been getting restless. I’m sure Puppy could help him with that.”

This time, the snarl wasn’t from Chris, who was desperately trying not to show how agitated he was to his enemy; it came from John. Chris shot a look in his direction. John was standing behind Drew, a hand on his throat – Chris hadn’t even considered Drew, who could have shouted something over the speakerphone. It was John keeping him quiet and John whose eyes had narrowed at the mere mention of Punk and the thought of him being within a mile of Evan. Closer to Chris and Randy were Ted and Cody, both looking sombre and worried, as well they might. Punk had been the one to be sniffing around Cody as well.

“So this is all about revenge for you,” said Chris flatly, although the question was strictly rhetorical, he knew from the moment Wade’s voice came over the phone what the man would want from him. 

“That, and to claim my rightful place at the head of the pack. My father was pack leader and you know how it goes, it’s mine unless you defeat me for it.”

Chris recalled the night when he had become pack leader, a memory that made him more heartsick than triumphant. Still he could never have let Edge take over, Christian had been clear in his disinterest and Randy had barely been more than a pup. Wade and Gabriel – Justin – had been gone and also far too young. Who else had there been? But damned if he was going to leave the pack to the mercies of Wade and his faithful crew. He might have been reluctant to assume leadership, but he had and the pack was his responsibility. Under his protection, as much as he could give it. 

“Edge is with you,” he stated. “He’s the one filling your head with all this bullshit about mysterious death and plots to get Barrett out of the way. Well, he’s lying through his teeth. There was no plot. I didn’t kill Barrett, I was grief-stricken when he died and I paid for the guy your grandparents hired to try to find you...” Another piece clicked into place. “You were with Edge all along, weren’t you? He took you with him, when you went missing.” 

“I’m getting bored, Chris.”

Chris grimaced, knowing that he couldn’t afford for the other man to hang up on him. They did have the choice whether or not to answer Evan’s phone after all and if he pissed Wade off too much, then that would give their pack more time with his mate to do – whatever they were doing. Chris just hoped that Wade really was just trying to wind him up. It was hard enough knowing that he had failed Evan, if Evan had been hurt because of that failure then how would Chris be able to face his lover again without seeing the reproach in the others eyes?

“What do you want from me Wade?”

“I want the pack.” Wade’s voice was cold. “I want what’s mine. I want to teach them how your stupid, outdated ways have held them back and tear down the false ideal you taught them. We want them part of us proper – I think your schoolteacher’s going to be the most fun—“

There was a choking sound from Drew as John inadvertently tried to clench his fists; John was forced to cover his mouth to hide the sounds from the phone. 

“—But Jeff’s betting on your young blonde – he likes getting the good boys dirty.” Chris glanced at Ted and Cody, noting that Ted looked almost sickened and Cody possessively infuriated, perhaps for the first time since his change, their hands tightening together until both sets of knuckles were whitened. “Whoever’s right gets bragging rights. And Edge wanted to teach Randy a thing or two about loyalty... the point is, when I take my pack back, things are going to change and anyone who doesn’t fall in line doesn’t get the chance to run with their tail between their legs.”

“Like I give them,” said Chris, trying to curb the anger in his voice with limited success. “Because I’m so bloodthirsty.”

“You don’t get the choice to join either way.” Wade sounded suddenly like he was gloating. “What’s it gonna be? You either step down and we finish you easy. Or you don’t and we play with your Puppy some more before we come after you and finish you off the painful way.” He paused. “Go for the second option. I’d like to see just how feisty your Puppy really is, before we tame him.”

Chris loathed the way Wade called Evan Puppy, the way Chris always did, the way he had on the phone. And Wade had picked up on it, just like his father who knew everyone’s weaknesses – unlike Wade though, Barrett had never used that knowledge so cruelly. But with Evan’s safety on the line, was he really willing to gamble?

A memory came to him, of Evan after one of his incidents. Evan would go into the shower, trying to wash away some stain that was visible only to himself and that was where Chris would find him, often crying. It had been one such incident that had convinced Chris to change him, although Evan had broached the subject, Chris had been wary to do so. Right up until he’d found Evan in the shower in the middle of the night, head hanging low, soap held loosely in one hand although there was no attempt at washing being made, Evan was merely letting the water cascade over his head, apparently lost in thought and when Chris had touched his shoulder, Evan had jumped slightly before turning to him. “I don’t want to go back to that again Chris,” he’d said, voice low but seeming loud in the empty house, the only other noise the muted hiss of the shower. “I don’t want to be anyone’s plaything, ever again. I’d rather die.” And Chris had known that he’d meant it. 

He might be able to save Evan, but only if he was still alive. And if he wasn’t, then he knew Evan would not want to live with the pack that Wade was suggesting. As Evan had told Chris himself, he would rather die. 

“You know how old-fashioned I am Wade.” His voice came out surprisingly even and strong given how churned up he ws inside, but he supposed a good part of it was fatalism. It was easy to be resolute when there was only one choice to be had. “Like you said, it’s mine unless you defeat me for it. I’m challenging you Wade, if you want this pack then you’d better be about to fight me for it. One hour. There’s a field, Punk knows where it is. He met John there, did he tell you?”

Stunned silence, both from the phone and from his own pack, who were no doubt wondering if he’d lost his mind at long last. Chris had never felt clearer, or more terrified. “One hour Wade, I’ll be there. You win, the pack is yours by right and I’ll be dead anyway. You don’t show and you can find a way to take me down later – but the pack will always know that you were too afraid to face me. They’ll have no confidence in you and how long do you think a pack can last when their leader is a coward?”

There was a pause, quite a long one. Chris was wondering if Wade was weighing up what he had said, maybe wondering how he could tip the advantage to himself – and that was indeed the case, although after a few seconds, Wade turned to Punk to see if the other man knew just where Chris was talking about. Punk gave Wade a slight nod, a half-smile playing on his lips and Wade turned his back on the other again, speaking directly to the phone. 

“Make it two hours. Justin’s so talented, it’d be a shame to make Evan have to rush.”

Chris stored the comment so he could go ballistic once the call was over, his only advantage it seemed was seeming unfazed and he wasn’t sure he was doing a good job of that at all. “Wait, one question. Where does Drew fit into this?” He didn’t mind looking a bit oblivious – Wade had probably decided he was when he admitted to not knowing who Justin was – but there was a semblance of a plan forming in the back of his mind and this at least could help him out.

“Drew?” Wade sounded puzzled until another voice in the background – this one definitely Punk in spite of the faintness over the phone and the entire pack automatically showed their teeth – said faintly, “The meat puppet.” Wade chuckled slightly. “Oh, Drew. Yeah. He doesn’t fit into this, who said he had to? He was a way to watch over your newbie. We were thinking of turning him, but that whole thing about wanting his boyfriend as his mate when he was changed is off-putting. No room for that kinda thing in our pack. Might be funny to see him scrapping with blondie though, so I might do yet. See you in two hours.”

“Wait,” said Chris again, knowing he was making a mistake even as he spoke, but unable to help himself. “Let me speak to Evan.”

Another pause, shorter this time. “Evan’s busy. You’ll see him there. Best to show him just who’s gonna be his alpha from now on.” A sardonic laugh and then the call was terminated. 

Chris heard the dial tone and exhaled, the action turning into a low growl now that he no longer had to watch what he said and was able to let his emotions and his imagination run free. Play Wade had said, and Chris had every reason to suspect now that Wade’s disappearance all those years ago had been related to Edge. He didn’t have to close his eyes to see the old days he rarely wanted to think of in the present; in Barrett’s house before Chris had bought the manor, Edge leaning over the back of a chair a much younger Randy was sitting in, speaking in a low confidential tone that all the pack could pick up thanks to their sensitive ears. You wanna go upstairs and play awhile? And Randy’s responding, languid grin giving the affirmative. Chris wasn’t looking at Randy, but he was sure the man wasn’t smiling now. 

Chris didn’t dare crush the phone although he was sorely tempted, it was his lifeline to Evan. But he couldn’t hold back the urge to lash out somehow. The growl rose in volume and his fist hit the wall, punching a sizable hole right through the plaster. Not waiting to see what the damage truly was he turned, still growling, and made a beeline for Drew. He shot John a look and the man took a couple of steps away from the chair the man was sat in, probably on sheer instinct – there were some things one never questioned the alpha on. Chris stopped in front of Drew, reached out and seized the man by the throat, lifting him right out of the chair. Drew made a slight choking noise, eyes wide, hands beating ineffectually at Chris’ arm.

“We’re leaving here soon and I don’t have the time or the patience to fuck around,” said Chris, truth ringing in every word. He could sense the pack getting ready to intervene should he go much further, but for the moment they were leaving him alone and the moment was all he needed. “Tell me everything about your meeting s with Punk, or the only person who’ll be changing you is me. From a live person to a dead one.” He realised Drew wasn’t going to say a word while Chris was cutting off his air ways and tossed the man almost contemptuously back to the chair, which tipped over and spilled Drew onto his back. 

 

Gasping slightly, red in the face, Drew managed to turn and pull himself onto his hands and knees. “Cody...” he rasped, trying to get some sympathy from his former lover. Cody looked back at him, a little sadly but making no move to aid Drew. As far as Cody was concerned, Drew’s association with Punk might have been good intentioned, was certainly a mistake – but he had been given the chance to make things right, help them find Evan and he wasn’t taking it, preferring to take sanctuary in bravado. 

“You heard what they said,” said John unexpectedly. “They don’t care about you, only what you could do for them and now you’re worthless where they’re concerned. You owe them nothing. But you could help save Evan, so do it. Even if the reason’s only that you’re saving yourself, from us.”

Drew coughed a couple of times, finding a sitting position on the floor. “He spoke to me when I was on my way home from a night out with friends, Cody stayed home or said he did, he was always going out at nights and I was leaving early to make sure he was still there... he said he was a friend of Cody’s and there was something I should know about him. He was grinning and I thought he was the one Cody had been going to at nights. Only he looked so weird, he was only wearing combats and converse even though it was cold and then he – changed. Into a wolf. At first I thought it was the beer and then he kinda went for me and I started to run. He caught up with me, knocked me flat on my face and just left me alone while I got up and he changed back. And then he says, ‘Cody can do that’, like nothin’ happened.” 

He ran a hand through the hair that had come loose, looking slightly pathetic. “We talked. Punk told me about him—“ He indicated at Ted with a scowl, refusing to look at the man. “He said that if he was long gone, but if he came back then Cody would go trotting back like a well-trained spaniel. His words. But I could change things, if I gave Cody a pack that he could be loyal to then it wouldn’t matter when Ted turned up again. Cody would nae need to go with him because he’d have people to guide him instead of being all alone. So I met up with him again, a few times and he told me all about his pack and all the things that Cody could learn with them and when I said there was no place for me in a life like that, then he told me that they would make me one of the pack too. They didnae believe in mates but Punk said that some pack members were closer than others. They wouldn’t mind so much if me and Cody were together more often than us with the others, though he did say it was bad manners to turn down another pack member.”

Chris might have been the immediate danger, but Drew let his gaze go to Cody, who was outwardly unmoved. “Punk had just talked me into taking Cody to meet the pack. When I got back from my weekend away – I wasn’t working, I was meeting up with Punk, he always wanted to be away from our home in case Cody smelled him and got spooked, he said. I was gonna suggest we went away for a few days and we’d meet up with the pack there. It was after the full moon and I didnae see why he’d say no.”

“Shit Drew,” said Cody, anxious to be aiding Evan but getting Drew’s story was rather compelling, for himself at least. “Why all that? Why not just come clean? Why all the secrecy, going through all that instead of just talking to me?”

Drew snorted. “You’re asking why? I don’t believe you!” He fixed Cody with an angry stare that had Ted moving imperceptibly closer to his mate. “Because I didn’t want you to leave, you were always so secretive, you weren’t...” He shrugged. “You weren’t with me. Not in your head and this way, you’d be mine and we’d have the same secret. You’d be mine.”

Ted started to snarl, Chris raising a hand to cut the noise off then turning to the pack as if Drew had ceased to exist for him. “Wade was looking for a hook,” he said bluntly. “He thought he could get it through Cody and this assclown, but we ruined his plans there. He’s been wanting me for a long time and I just bet that Edge fuelled that.”

“He might just get you,” Randy informed him. “You’ve got two hours before you take him on and I bet he doesn’t just defeat you and let you run!”

“You don’t think I can take him Randy?” Chris’ voice was silken and deadly.

“I know you can take most people. And I know they’ve got Evan and they’re not above using him to distract you. I know they won’t fight fair.” Randy stared Chris in the eye. “And I know you’ve never been a killer and this time, you might not have a choice.”

“They have Evan.” Chris didn’t drop his eyes. “They harmed Evan. You’d better believe I can rip Wade’s throat out without a second of remorse.”

Randy wasn’t sure that he believed Chris, about the having no remorse at least, but this was not the time to argue. They needed a plan, not an argument. 

“What about him?” asked John, pointing to Drew, who was still kneeling on the floor.

Chris glanced at Drew, looking almost like he’d forgotten the man. “Oh, there’s some chloroform in the cabinet in mine and – in the on-suite. Would you grab it for me Ted?”

“Dare I ask why you have it?” asked John as Ted slipped from the room quickly and quietly.

“I’m a rich man with a lot of shit to steal and an unusual defence system. I use some of that once an intruder’s subdued, who’s to say what they saw?” 

“You don’t have to—“ Drew sounded a little panicked. 

“We do and this is the soft option.” Cody looked over at Drew with perhaps the smallest amount of sympathy. “We don’t need you calling Punk. You’re outta the game until this is settled. And for the record, I still liked and respected you, until tonight.”

“Do we even have a plan?” asked Randy, his tone worried. For someone that usually sounded casual even when they were concerned, this was enough to make the rest of them more worried. 

“Not as such. No time.” Chris pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re right though. They won’t fight fair and I’m distracted. That’s why I’m asking you to come with me. The whole pack. Not to get involved with the fight, but to make sure things go down as they should. Witnesses. And if worst comes to worst...” 

He paused. He had never seen this moment coming, where he had to name who would be next to lead and he wasn’t ready for it. None of them were. Randy had been with the pack the longest and had grown up a lot thanks to John, but he was still prone to immaturity and self-absorption – the way Chris had been when he took over the pack, he reminded himself. John was a steadier option, probably more suited, but because he was Randy’s mate if he were to take over it would cause them territory issues and no one wanted that between themselves and a mate. Ted had the qualities there, but the way he’d taken off when he’d changed Cody showed that he just wasn’t ready for the responsibility. Cody was too new to it all, unthinkable. And Evan... wasn’t there. 

He made a snap decision. “If worst comes to worst, Randy, the manor’s the pack and the pack need a new leader. I want you to take it, at least until you can work something out if you don’t want it. And none of them get it.” Randy might have been immature in some ways, but he was learning and Chris trusted him.

Randy hesitated. “Chris, it’s not gonna come to that.”

“I hope not.” Chris met his eyes. “But if it does. Everything goes to Evan, look after him for me.”

Randy paused, looked at the floor. “You have my word. We will.” 

Ted arrived back and Chris continued to ignore Drew’s protests. “I need all of you there, not just as witnesses – to watch my back. I know if I go alone, then Wade’s gonna have his pack gang up on me. It sounds like their tactics – but this isn’t an order. I can’t order you over this. It’s up to you.”

“You make it sound like there’s something to think about.” John liberated the chloroform from Ted. “Hmm, I need a towel for this shit.”

“I’m there,” said Ted determinedly.

“We are,” added Cody, taking Ted’s hand again. 

“Right behind you, all the way Chris.” Randy ignored the sounds of John chloroforming a very reluctant Drew, leaving him unconscious on the floor. “Let’s go get our Evvy back.”

Chris couldn’t help the sense of relief that flooded him. He knew that Evan could be in danger, but he could only drive himself crazy considering it. He had to hope that Wade was bluffing on that part. He was no help to Evan if he lingered on it and he had cut short whatever time the other pack had with Evan. Right then, Evan’s only chance was Chris focusing at the matter at hand – and then, if – when – he survived and brought Evan home, he would throw away all distractions and do all that he could to heal his mate. Because as much as he wanted to protect the pack, he was uneasy at realising they were a secondary consideration. To him, it was all about Evan.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Bloody Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris and Wade square off for leadership of their packs, and everything goes to hell-in-a-handbasket pretty quickly.

It was the longest two hours of his life and it took everything he had not to just destroy the mansion for the sake of having something to do with his hands and as a way to vent his tension; that thought he hastily retracted given that the anger was what he was going to need to help him get through this situation since killing was not something he advocated usually unless it was a complete necessity and there were no other options. However, with Evan involved and the stipulation of keeping his mate and his pack free of these twisted wannabes Chris figured that this situation could fall into that category. The blondette looked to the clock, seeing it was time to leave.

They had bound Drew’s arms and legs again now that he was unconscious; locking all of the doors and windows and unplugging the telephone so that the Scotsman didn’t go anywhere until they were ready for him to do so. John could only imagine how pissed off the other man would be once he woke up and had the situation not been so serious he would have been saddened that he was going to miss a veritable temper-tantrum from him. The brunette looked to his own mate and saw that Randy’s eyes had all but turned into ice-chips with emotion, his jaw set so tight that a muscle in his cheek was jumping violently of its own volition. He took his mate’s hand and gave it a squeeze; the action seemed to register with Randy and the man blinked several times as he then brought himself from his thoughts. Nodding to his mate Randy then led the way towards the car that they had decided they would take—their largest and possibly most inconspicuous car that any of them owned. They’d need the room for them all if they came back. When they all came back.

Cody was seated besides Ted in the back of the car when they all settled, John on their other side and Randy in the front seat besides Chris who was driving. Cody knew that he wasn’t the only one who had some reservations about Chris driving in the state he was in but knew at the same time that they would not be able to stop the man from doing whatever he deemed he had to in this state. The mood in the car was tense; all of them concerned for their pack-brother and for their alpha, not knowing what lay around the corner for them. The mood had only gotten worse it seemed with the unspoken implication of what was happening to Evan and of what would happen to they in the pack once Chris had been removed from the picture. None of them wanted to accept that reality no matter the cost, but none of them wanted to face the prospect of losing Chris more.

Before John, and the pack overall, Chris had been the most important person in Randy’s life; he had been his best-friend and his confidant, and even his father figure when he needed someone to keep him in-line when he got a little wilful. He couldn’t imagine the next time he saw Chris being in some silk-lined padded coffin surrounded by fans of his band, his ex-band-members and they themselves. The more he tried to push the images away the more seemed to come; he could see himself in John’s arms desperately trying to hold back tears, he could see Evan suddenly running past them all, sobbing and desperately pleading with Chris to come back to him as he dropped to his knees before his mate’s coffin. Already he knew, on the off-chance that Chris did lose, Evan would never take everything Chris left him. Hell, Randy seriously doubted whether Evan would even continue on living if he lost Chris. He had heard old folklore that losing one’s mate sent the surviving mate into total madness.

Evan had been a hollow shell of a human-being for a long time, Randy recalled back to the time he had first met the smaller man: he had all but been terrified at the thought of Chris’ side and he had made conscious efforts not be to considered a nuisance or to interact with people more than he thought he had to. Oh, sure, he had been bubbly and friendly, but he and John (and then Ted too) had known that a lot of what they had been shown had been false until Evan had felt like he could truly settle down and truly belong. They had understood more when Chris had come out and told them about Evan’s history, and from the looks of things it seemed as though all of their hard-work and all of the work and moving-on that Evan had been doing over the years was going to be destroyed in the span of a few hours. His hands tightened in his lap before he forced the grip of one of his hands to loosen given that he had Evan’s phone in one in case they contacted them again. Randy didn’t know whether they were all hoping that they did or they didn’t.

Chris wheeled the car down another surprisingly empty road, his eyes focused on the seemingly similar landscape before them. When he recognised the turn that he wanted for the field that they had arranged to meet the other pack at he increased his speed just that little bit more before then skidding to a halt. No one in the car spoke, tension returning thickly once more as they all seemed to prepare themselves for what was going to happen. “Don’t forget, Chris.” Ted said quietly, “We’re there with you all the way. You can do this.” Cody nodded his head; he might have resented being brought into the pack as he had, and might not have been keen on the whole idea at first, but in the short time he’d gotten to know the men around him he felt closer to all of them then he ever had any of the other people he’d come across in his life. “Yeah, we’re all gonna be right there with you.” John and Randy murmured soft assents and Chris felt a rush of affection and gratitude towards them all. He wasn’t happy about this whole thing at all, but he felt better knowing he had them all there.

Truth be told he’d be feeling his happiest, his most confident, had he had Evan with him, but that wasn’t possible was it. He had to remember that Evan was the one he was doing this for. All in all he didn’t see why Wade should want to try and forcefully take over his pack considering that he had his own, but it was just the whole misguided revenge element… that and the whole twisted lust thing that the majority of his little ‘pack’ had towards his own. Had Evan been safe and sound then Chris would have just told Wade that he’d step down and that he’d have to ask the others if they wanted to join him. However, Wade (or more technically Edge and Punk) had forced his hand and as such there would be no negotiations or anything along those lines: they had his mate, they had laid their filthy hands upon his mate and he was going to make sure that each and every one of them paid for what they had done.

The engine of the car was cut, keys removed from the ignition as they all climbed from the vehicle. Out of habit more than actual necessity Chris locked the car behind them as they slowly, cautiously walked through a small thicket of bushes lining the entrance to the open field on the side they had come from. There wasn’t much man-made light around but it wasn’t a problem with their enhanced eyesight; the growing darkness didn’t hamper them too much, though they weren’t arrogant enough to consider that they would have the upper-hand on the situation just because they could see since their opponents were the same. There was a myriad of earthy scents around them, all manner of wildlife and plants, scents that Chris would have probably been expecting had he been in the midst of his change but scents that he was forced to block out at that moment so that he could try and hone in on Evan’s scent. They couldn’t see anyone but that didn’t mean that they weren’t there somewhere.

Nothing. No scent, not even a hint of a scent. Chris tried again, sensing the others doing the same behind him. There wasn’t even the strange scent like Ted had experienced when Drew had been to his house that time and disguised himself—he had twigged that the man had been the one to do so given that he had told them that Punk had sold him a similar line which he had obviously used for inspiration. “They’re not here.” Randy growled darkly; the implication was clear that they would be the ones waiting until their adversaries were ready. Barrett Senior had always had a bit of an ego in him, but he was much more subtle in the showing of said ego. Chris had the biggest urge to kick one of the nearby trees but knew that it wouldn’t make him feel even minutely better and would create a mess that they’d have to clean up afterwards. The five of them fell quiet, listening for any sounds. After what seemed like an age two car engines sounded in the distance. Immediately the pack tensed, their eyes trained on the opposite side of the field where a second entrance was hidden.

~~~~~~~~~~

“We need to go, Angel!” Wade said as he opened the hotel room door, admiring the image lain out before him of Evan bound to the bed, naked save for his boxers which had obviously been Justin’s next target area given how low they were on the small man’s hips. Justin turned from where he was stretched out over the other man, pouting at his Alpha. “Wade, I’m not finished yet!” Truth be told Justin hadn’t even gone all the way with Evan yet because he had been having too much fun watching the emotions in Evan’s eyes whenever he touched him and hearing the muffled pleas and threats that had been emanating from behind the tie he had used to gag Evan with. There were tears on Evan’s blotchily flushed cheeks, evidence of physical pleasure that was certainly not his own apparent on his skin. Wade gave a quiet growl of pleasure, tempted to remove his own clothing and joined the naked minx playing with their soon-to-be-newest-recruit before he then shook himself and reminded himself of what he had come in here to tell Justin about. “It’ll have to wait, Angel. We got in touch with Chris.”

Throughout Justin touching, caressing, licking, kissing and generally touching him in ways no one other than Chris had done for years, and in a manner that was nowhere near as loving and tender, Evan had retreated back into the little place he had had in the back of his mind back when he had been a prostitute; the little place where he could close himself off from everything that was going on, because if he didn’t detach himself then he knew there was no way he could cope—and that was especially true now. He felt as though he was that helpless little teen again being approached by the sleazy businessman who had spotted him just standing on a street-corner as he debated where he was going to sleep that night. Anyway, that little place that he had retreated to receded at the sound of his mate’s name. Justin noticed the spark of life within Evan once more and was equally annoyed and delighted by it.

When Evan had gone all limp and unresponsive, no true signs of life save for his flinches, the tears in his eyes and the ragged breathing behind the gag Justin had actually been frightened for a minute. The lack of emotion in those previously fiery eyes had been disquieting and at one point he had actually been scared that he had broken then young man in some manner—but at the mention of his mate’s name he was coming back to himself again. Goody: that meant there would be more to break when they got to continue this later. Evan would come around to their way of thinking soon enough, but until then Justin would be more than happy to keep educating him. “Why do I have to stop, Wade?” he asked confusedly and Wade’s previously wicked and lustful expression immediately fell into a serious one. “We got in touch with Chris, as I said, and he asked me what I wanted from him. I told him I wanted the pack and I wanted my revenge and he agreed to it…” the sound of distress Evan made was muffled but evident and Wade smirked nastily as he began to stalk towards the smaller man. “Oh yes,” Wade watched as Evan tried to pull free of the carefully reinforced bindings to free himself as he came closer, “—he was most anxious to agree to my terms once he had found out that you and Justin were playing…” his eyes narrowed deviously and he licked his lips slowly before adding another insult to injury. “Puppy.” Evan flinched at the sound of Chris’ pet-name for him coming from Wade.

Mortification and shame welled in Evan; if all of this happened to work out the way he wished it would, would Chris ever want to touch him again knowing another man had, whether Evan had been willing or not? Would Chris even want to hold him again knowing Justin had licked every inch of his exposed torso and left bites all over it? Would he ever want to kiss Evan again when he saw the split lip Justin had given him by biting savagely at him when Evan had refused to kiss back? With each thought he could feel the almost-forgotten sensation of filthiness coming back, crawling over him and enveloping him in its disgusting embrace once more as the final thought of: would Chris even look at him the same way if he found out that Justin had cruelly fucked his abused mouth and then cum on him in a degrading manner that had almost had him throwing up around the gag he wore?

Tears began afresh in Evan’s eyes despite how much he hated giving these monsters the satisfaction of seeing him cry, but he couldn’t help it; Chris had accepted him as damaged goods once, but could he do it again? “Oh, Ok,” Justin pouted, seemingly as unconcerned by Evan’s apparent distress as he had been with the man’s previous refusal to engage him. “—but we can finish off later, right?” Justin grinned wickedly, moving to Wade and pressing his naked body into the bigger man’s, “You’ll play with us later, won’t you?” the thought that Wade could lose, and what that would mean for him, obviously hadn’t crossed his mind and Evan almost, almost, had the smallest sensation of pity towards him.

“I’ll be more than happy to, Angel. Come on now: get yourself ready.” He then looked to Evan and removed the gag from his mouth. He could smell Justin’s scent as well as the sickly copper-tang of blood from the small man’s wrecked lip, could see some bruising coming up around Evan’s eyes; Justin might not seem like much but he hated when he was denied, and he had a deadly aim. These wounds would be gone within the following day but that didn’t matter to Wade: what mattered was that Chris was going to see his mate so beautifully close to being broken, and smelling of other wolves. Licking Evan slowly, deliberately, up the throat, Wade smirked as he felt the small man fighting to get away from him even though it would take one bite -even in this body- for him to rip Evan’s jugular and cause him to bleed to death. Whilst the thought was tempting in its own macabre way Evan was much too special and had far too much potential to waste. All of those that had foolishly allied themselves with Chris had potential they had not yet recognised.

“Aww, what’s wrong, Puppy?” the hate in Evan’s eyes, mingled with the tears of some unfathomable sadness, was enough to make Wade growl with need all over again. He knew that they were all going to enjoy taking their time to ‘convert’ Evan to their way of thinking. He caught the shirt that Justin threw at him, pulling the item onto Evan once he had untied his hands and legs. As soon as he had sensed Evan planning to make an escape Wade said cruelly, “We’ll kill you before you can even leave the room, and I will not hesitate to send your mangled corpse to Chris covered in marks from all of us!” And, given that this lot seemed borderline psychopathic and just plain insane, Evan found himself not doubting the man’s words and merely allowing the shirt to be pulled on. Catching sight of himself in the mirror filled him with a sense of déjà vu; partially beaten, messy and so obviously rumpled, nausea in his belly and helplessness in his eyes… all he needed now was the money in hand to make the whole scene a moment from his past.

The eager and appreciative gazes that ran over his dirty, clothing-covered body made Evan want to heave all over again but he managed to refrain; he’d had little to eat that day overall save for that small snack for breakfast and so he didn’t think throwing up on their floor would have quite the appealing mess-factor had he been given a full-course meal of something in the past few hours. Once more he found himself sandwiched between Justin and Wade, Punk and Edge behind them with Matt and Jeff. Since he had been in the hotel room he had had little interaction with the other members of this so-called pack since he had all but been spirited away by Justin as soon as he was able. Evan could still feel the other man’s release on his stomach and the strange scents and disgusting substance he swore were visibly flowing from him in an obvious manner that even the humans would be able to make out. Chris… why had he agreed to this challenge? He wasn’t like this, he wasn’t.

He found himself being hustled passed the late-night receptionist and out into the darkening car-park, Wade leading he and Justin to one car, Edge tagging along with them and Punk, Jeff and Matt got into a second vehicle. Evan was once again tempted to just punch both the men in the back with him in the face once the car got going and throw himself out… but it wouldn’t work. He’d never be able to get too far with bound hands and numb legs. The thought of what was going to happen terrified him, but not as much as the thought of what Chris (and indeed his pack-mates) were going to think when they saw him like this, if they were with Chris. He didn’t see them letting Chris go alone though and prayed that something happened that either a) cancelled this upcoming challenge completely or b) ensured that something happened to prevent a death occurring. He knew that Chris would kill these people for what they had done to him, but he also knew that the killing would weigh on Chris’ conscience for the rest of his life regardless of what he might say to the contrary. He didn’t want his sweet Chris tainted by something like that—especially not when he knew that the man had been carrying around these secrets from his old past for so long without telling them to anyone, no doubt due to his strong pride and concern.

The car stopped after what felt like an age, Justin pulling him out of the car and keeping him close with a definite intent and mocking message: ‘he belongs to use now, what’re you gonna do about it?’ as they began to head through a rotting wooden gate that led to an open field. Immediately Evan sensed that his mate and pack were there and he lifted his head up enough to make out their scents coming from the other end of the field. To his horror though the others all began heading towards them, Justin –and now Punk- pulling him along when he desperately tried to dig in his heels. As they came closer and closer Evan could finally make out Chris’ face—and the myriad of expressions there filled Evan with even more shame and self-loathing; none of the other pack members would have let themselves be tricked into such a situation, or even if they had they would have more means for fighting than he did. Evan had never really been a physical fighter.

The devastation that was visible on Chris’ face was sweet as sugar to Wade and he revelled in knowing that this was going to be the last way that Chris ever saw his mate: surrounded by his new pack-brothers and bearing evidence of a lifestyle that would become as natural as breathing to the smaller man. His eyes then travelled from Chris to the four men tensed behind him. The one he knew as Orton had his lip curled back in a sneer, fury in his eyes but Wade could sense weariness there—he knew not to take them lightly. The blonde Jeff had expressed an interest in was holding hands with the dark haired one who Punk had expressed a desire for, fury and terror warring equally in his eyes. The newest werewolf of the entire group, the one known as Cody, had an expression of shock and disbelief on his face as he looked across the almost ominous distance that separated the two groups and landed his eyes upon Evan. Oh, it was beautiful.

And then, finally, he allowed his eyes to alight upon the prize that he was going to take away from this night when he won against Chris and exacted his deserved revenge: John Cena. The man met his gaze head-on and Wade loved the defiance that he saw, because he knew that he would be able to break it in time to be complete obedience. His moment of admiration was broken however when Orton seemed to realise what he was looking at and snarled violently before placing himself a little more before John in clear warning. He sensed Edge shifting behind him in apparent displeasure at the display and Wade felt his own smile slip as he watched Cena touched Randy in an obvious gesture of support and pacification.

“Lovely evening, aye, Chris?” Wade called almost gaily, smirking wider now as he saw that Chris hadn’t once looked away from Evan. The blondette wanted to roar in fury and destroy not only the pack opposite him but anything and everything that bore even a minor resemblance to them, as he took in the damage to his mate that he could visibly see, and the mocking, horrendous things he could smell had been done to Evan. The shame-filled, desperate eyes that locked upon his own, tears sparkling almost in the darkness broke Chris’ heart. He was going to destroy them all. However, what frightened and tore at him more, was the way he could see that Evan was retreating into himself with each passing second. He refused to let his mate be beaten down by bastards like this.

“Evan—“the small man immediately perked at the sound of his mate’s voice, meeting Chris’ gaze across the clearing, “Puppy—“the word caressed Evan’s terrified soul as it sounded familiarly from the warm lips that had smiled at him and brought him out of the depths of his despair once-upon-a-time with gentle, determined words of comfort and reassurance. “—I’m going to come and get you. You’re coming home with me,” he indicated those behind him but didn’t turn, “-with us, when this is all over.” And then, for the first time since the second group had come into sight, Chris turned his murderously calm eyes onto Wade, “I’m going to destroy each and every one of you. Know this, young Barrett: I had nothing to do with your father’s death and had nothing but the utmost respect for him… but for what you’ve done I shall show no mercy, respect and past-relationships be damned.”

For the first time, Wade looked uncertain. “My father was—“

“A good man,” Chris overrode him. “Not without his faults, but a good man. If he could see this shit here, he’d be ashamed.”

Wade snarled. “Are we talking or are we doing this?”

“Ready whenever you are,” returned Chris, his tone lightly mocking. His eyes went to Evan again, reminding himself what he was fighting for – what was at stake. Not just his life or the well-being of his pack, but his mate. Wade seemed to think that the degradation of his mate would break him somehow, but Chris was determined that it would only make him more aggressive, more lethal, so that he could put this behind them and set about healing Evan as best he could. He just hoped that such an act was possible. He could sense Evan’s shame and humiliation and fear from where he stood, but he couldn’t afford to let his rage cloud his mind. He would set about healing Evan if he won. When he won.

Losing was not an option. 

The rest of Wade’s pack was gathered around Evan as if to stop him from going anywhere, no doubt their objective. When he disposed of Wade there was every chance that their revenge would be swift and taken out on Evan... but he had to trust that his own pack were just as aware of this as he was and would be immediately ready to defend him. And Evan might be hesitant about fighting and been beaten down – but he was not a lightweight and not yet broken. They might just get a surprise with the next thing they tried. 

Wade started shedding his clothes and Chris followed suit, something that would probably startle an onlooker who didn’t know the nature of the fight that was about to ensue. But werewolves fought as wolves in these circumstances, it seemed that at least Wade would follow that rule, even if his taking Evan was dishonourable and not something that most packs would dream of doing. He didn’t know if the pack would get involved, but his own pack was right behind him. Knowing that filled him with a fierce sense of pride. He was aware that he wasn’t always the easiest alpha, but he did seem to have garnered their respect and friendship. He could only wonder if the circumstances would have been the same for Wade had the tables been turned, or if his pack would have turned on him and scattered. 

Chris realised with some slight unease as his opponent removed his shirt that the man was huge. Barrett had always been tall, muscular, but Wade had to be even taller and certainly more built. Whereas Chris stood maybe a whisker below six foot even and although he was broad, he was nowhere near as massive as Wade was. He couldn’t let that matter. Wade might be larger but Chris had the experience that the other lacked and he had been in a situation like this one before. He couldn’t imagine that Wade had fought Edge for leadership of the pack and that might be to his advantage. 

Stripping off the last of his clothes, Chris focused a moment and changed, becoming the wolf within seconds. Looking out through his canine eyes he could see that Wade had changed as well, even his wolf form seeming massive, pure black as opposed to Chris’ almost blonde fur. Dark eyes contemplated him and a rising growl came from the larger wolf. Still Chris didn’t move, planting his paws firmly and staring back with a slightly lowered head. Let Wade make the first move, be the first to show his hand. Rushing to get this over would only go against him in the end. He was aware in this form far more of the mingled scents of the packs, knowing that both were watching the action, but his own attention was on Wade, not even allowing himself to think over-much of Evan. He couldn’t afford to be distracted, because that was when Wade would attack.

When it became clear that Chris could hold his ground for the rest of the night, Wade’s snarl became almost deafening to Chris’ sensitive ears and the dark wolf sprang forward; Chris was anticipating the move and was still almost taken by surprise. He darted aside, letting Wade skid across the ground where he had been seconds earlier and immediately leaping onto Wade’s back, teeth closing around the back of the others neck. Wade let out a howl at the act, which painfully mimicked the traditional act of superiority/submission among their kind and managed to shake Chris off with his powerful back muscles. Chris managed to land on his feet, tasting blood in his mouth and smelling it in the air, the way the assembled packs no doubt also could. And there was a sudden change in the scents around him; he knew that in one move he had made Wade’s pack uncertain of their alphas victory.

Wade went for him again, coming in low, going for the throat. Chris managed to avoid the killing blow but Wade’s jaws closed around the top of his foreleg. Chris growled, pained, aware that when he changed back there would be a deep wound on his shoulder, but that was a consideration for later. His snapping jaws caught Wade’s ear and bit down, the gambit more to persuade the other to let him go – but the membrane of their ears was thin and Chris’ jaws were strong, a yank of his head tore half the ear from his enemy’s head. This time Wade’s howl was louder and he released Chris, backing away, staring at the other with an all-too-human expression of shock and disbelief in his eyes. Chris looked back at him, the half-ear between his teeth, then deliberately tossed his head back so that the morsel went into his mouth, chewed slightly, swallowed. The look on his face could perhaps have been interpreted as a grim smile. 

“WADE!” The cry came from Justin, no longer paying even the slightest attention to Evan. Not that it perhaps mattered, since Evan’s entire focus was on his mate and not on a way to escape. Both men were in oddly similar poses, hands at waist height, poised as if to intervene at any moment, eyes wide and shocked, Evan’s because he had never seen this side of Chris and was still scared for the man, Justin’s because for the first time he allowed himself to think the unimaginable – that Wade might actually lose and have his life taken from him. 

Neither fighter spared their mate a glance, although Wade heard Justin’s cry. Both knew that in these circumstances, distraction would equal death. Wade was no longer certain of his game plan against the other. He had assumed that he could out-fight Chris, particularly when he was half-crazy with rage over the taking and defiling of his mate. The whole pack had thought it would give them the advantage and it seemed that they had been wrong. It was as if they had handed the advantage to Chris instead. He wanted to retreat a moment, lick his wounds and return to the fight when he was good and ready, but there was no chance of that happening. They were in this until one of them could no longer fight; if that person was Chris then Wade would put him down. And his acts it seemed had ensured that if Wade were down, then Chris would not be about to show the mercy he had shown to Edge.

There was no option to retreat and recover, Wade did what he had to do, shook off the lingering nausea from the pain and seeing his ear – his ear – eaten. He couldn’t afford to mourn the loss right then, merely to avenge it. Without warning, he leapt at Chris again, this time hitting the other wolf dead-on, the pair rolling on the ground in a flurry of teeth and claws. 

To Evan, it seemed that the whole world had narrowed to the wolves fighting on the field, there was no one else in his mind, his own pack or the one that had taken him and brought forth the confrontation. Only his mate, fighting for both their lives against the enraged beast. The scent of blood in the air grew stronger, both Chris’ and Wade’s and although in the gloom it was hard to see where and how badly Wade was injured against his dark fur, Evan could see with horrific crystal-clarity every wound that Chris suffered, every place where blood matted his fur, where it was barely there and where it ran freely. And there was nothing at all that Evan could do to help him. No one could, this battle had to be Chris’ alone and ended by him. If he really could end it, or if it would end him. 

He held his breath, heart racing, as Chris was knocked onto his back by the younger wolf. Wade pinned Chris down almost casually, taking a second to savour the moment before his head darted down, intent on ripping out Chris’ throat – and at the same moment, Chris’ head jerked up, jaws clashing as Chris bit down heavily on Wade’s snout. Wade let out a pained yelp and instinctively leapt backward, giving Chris the second he needed to right himself again, this time knocking Wade onto his back. Wade tried to roll and that was the only reason that Chris missed the killing bite, instead taking out a large chunk from Wade’s chest, just below his throat. Wade rolled out of Chris’ way, shakily getting to his feet and thanks to Evan’s enhanced senses, he could hear the sound of Wade’s blood pattering on the ground. 

Chris never took his eyes from his adversary, but made no further move to attack. Wade whimpered once, took two apparently difficult steps toward Chris and then collapsed to his side, his sides heaving with the effort of breathing. Evan could hear his harsh pants and the air seemed suddenly thick with blood, to the extent where he couldn’t even smell the loathsome scents upon his own skin. 

Beside him, Justin started to whimper lightly, sounding like he might actually start to cry. He could hear the Hardy brothers low murmurs, although not the actual words and nor did he have the desire to. Edge and Punk were silent save for their heavier than usual breathing, Evan fancied that he could feel their shock. They had truly not expected Wade’s defeat – but Evan had known all along that Chris was strong enough, tenacious enough, to fight for what was his, and win. 

Chris’ own breathing was slightly laboured, he was panting – but he still approached Wade, slightly cautiously in case the other was faking his injury. That was unlikely, Evan knew. From the amount of blood Evan could smell, it was a miracle that Wade was breathing at all and it was unlikely he would be doing so for long. 

Chris pressed his nose into Wade’s neck, almost looking like he was nuzzling the other, then raised his head to look directly at Wade’s pack – and at Evan. Even in wolf form, Chris’ eyes seemed to soften slightly as he looked at Evan, then hardened again as he took in the pack. Sending a message to the five frozen men watching. And then he lowered his head again, slowly, teeth bared to finish the job...

Evan was moving before anyone realised it, before he himself was aware he was going to move. “Chris, wait – don’t!”

Chris paused, an inch away from Wade’s neck, then moved his head back to look up at Evan. An enquiring sound came from his jaws, something that would have made Evan laugh at any other time. In spite of Chris’ changed form, it sounded almost human. Evan approached the two wolves, almost falling to his knees beside them and reaching out with a shaking hand to stroke Chris’ head. He didn’t bother with Wade; Wade was no longer a threat to any of them and with him down, the pack seemed to have lost interest in keeping Evan close.

“Don’t kill him Chris,” Evan said in a quiet voice. “He’s finished. It’s over. You don’t have to do it.”

Chris tilted his head in puzzlement, but the conversation was difficult when they were in different forms; it was hard to mentally pick up thoughts when one was human and in wolf form they were unable to speak. Glancing down at Wade and noting his heaving sides and weak whimpers, Chris decided that Evan was right about one thing at least and changed back, feeling exhaustion flood him as he did so and fighting it away. The exertion they went through in wolf form was something that their human bodies were not always so good at handling. He ended up kneeling in front of Evan, uncaring of his nakedness – he’d stopped being concerned about being naked with an audience a long time since. Usually of course, he wasn’t in quite such a mess; he was covered in blood still, deep bites marring his flesh in several places, the worst of which was the horribly mangled wound on his shoulder, the scratches from Wade’s claws on his face and stomach. He could hear a ripple of confusion from his pack, Randy’s murmur of, “What the fuck is he doing?” as clearly audible as if the man were standing beside him. He paid them no heed. 

“What do you mean, don’t?” He met Evan’s eyes, trusting that the pack were ensuring neither of them were going to get sneak-attacked by Wade’s. “After what they did to you—“ But he didn’t want to linger on that thought. “How can you ask me that? He’s a piece of crap – worse, he’s a feral animal and the only thing to do with them is to put them down.” 

“I’m not asking for his sake.” Evan didn’t drop Chris’ gaze. “I’m asking for yours. It’s like you said, you’re not a killer and you don’t have to become one for me.” Tears were starting in his eyes again, Chris was willing to kill Wade for him and after what he’d been through, Evan was unlikely to feel much sorrow at his passing. Unless it was Chris who brought that about, and even then his sorrow wouldn’t be for Wade. He had been stupid, naive and he didn’t want Chris to suffer for that any more than he already had done. “I’m sorry Chris, you don’t know how sorry, I fucked up so bad, I should have listened to you and I’m so, so sorry – but please, listen to me. Show him some mercy, even if he doesn’t deserve it. I can’t forgive myself for causing all this and I can never forgive myself if you lowered yourself to their standards all because of what I did.”

It was possibly the most surreal part of the entire experience: Evan was actually sitting there and vouching for the life of one of his abusers for the sake of Chris’ conscience? The blondette sighed, head lowering as he fought off the pain beginning to emanate from his wounds; Evan was so much more of a man than he was. “You’re right,” he started firmly. “-you should have listened to me, and I am very angry with you—“he sighed softly and then quirked a small smile at his teary-eyed mate, brushing one of the tears from his cheeks, “—but we can talk about that later.” Much later. Right then all he wanted was to get home, get his injuries sorted out and push this whole unpleasant situation from his mind forever. However, before he could begin to make this his intention Evan was suddenly turning away from him as a furious growling rent the air.

It had been a split-second decision on Evan’s part to change (the fact that he did so right out of his jeans and the borrowed jacket proof of this) and he was glad that he had when Justin –he surmised from the fur colour- collided with him head on. Evan could scent the fury and the fear at Wade’s condition in the other wolf, could sense that if he could he would try to avenge the fallen alpha there and then. However, truly, his heart wasn’t in it. It was apparent he wanted to just tend to Wade.

There was an immediate scrambling behind him, his fellow pack members gearing for a change as the other side mimicked them—but Evan merely changed back to a human. He was naked and he could feel a flicker of interest from someone other than his mate despite the situation, but he pushed it away and kept his focus upon Justin. The still human eyes showed confusion and hurt and anger, but the confusion was currently at the forefront. It was apparent that the other man had been expecting Evan to just attack him and that that would be that. “Take him away from here, Justin.” Evan commanded voice low and strong and Chris couldn’t help feeling proud that his mate was keeping to his usual morals despite everything.

“Wade is in no condition to fight, and despite what you may think of Chris he isn’t a killer. Take Wade and leave… and I suggest that you re-evaluate your lifestyle from now on.” Of course he meant the whole kidnapping-innocents-and-slaughtering-humans or whatever it was they did to the humans… Punk was the only one who he was aware had actually killed a human before. Even if he hadn’t been aware of that particular tid-bit of information he knew he still would have sensed that the man was completely and utterly bad news.

Randy watched as Justin suddenly turned, keeping half his attention on them before he hastily went to Wade’s side. Whimpering softly the smaller wolf nuzzled the larger, then dropping his transformation and watching as Wade did the same thing. Though, by that point, it was probably impossible for the younger man to hold the change. “Wade—“Justin whispered, tears in his eyes and clearly distressed at the state of the other. It was at that point Randy was pretty much assured that those two were supposed to be faithful, monogamous mates—they just needed to work themselves out of the ridiculous brainwashing that Edge and Punk had done to them. It was a shame really… those two would have probably fit in quite nicely with their pack. Something told him such an offer wouldn’t be appreciated though.

John could sense the conflicted feelings coming from Randy and wanted to know what his mate was thinking—but it was hardly the time to act given that Wade was down, Chris seemed to have no intention of killing him, Justin was only focused on Wade and the rest of their pack were still incredibly unpredictable despite the fact that right then most of them seemed subdued with the fall of Wade. Well, more accurately the two brothers he had identified from their equal scents seemed subdued, Punk seemed passive whereas Edge looked borderline close to livid. “What the fuck are you doing, Wade?” Edge yelled, his voice seeming to echo around the field. Wade’s head lifted weakly, and through the blood and seeming loss of consciousness, John could see that the man looked almost… lost, at Edge’s anger.

But then, in its own way that made sense. Edge had essentially raised the two of them from youth, had been indoctrinating them with his ideals since forever, it wasn’t a complete stretch to say that in some twisted way he meant a lot to them. Justin’s voice cracked with anger and concern as he rounded on Edge. “Leave him alone!” Evan felt his heart go out to the other; had he been in his situation with Chris he wasn’t sure he would have been able to remain as composed as Justin had for nearly a fraction of the time. Evan was then aware of a heat at his back, the familiar scent of his mate filling his nostrils and making his heart soar even as his stomach flip-flopped. Turning his head he saw Chris’ eyes were looking over his skin –no doubt seeing the marks and the essence that had been left upon his skin by Justin- and he shook his head to silently prevent his mate from letting his temper fly at the younger man. Edge was still all but gnashing his teeth though made no move to start anything and Punk was regarding them with an eerily level gaze. Justin managed to pick Wade up, someone else moving for the first time. The look of surprise on Justin’s face as Jeff appeared to help him would have been comical had the situation not been so heartbreaking; the pack could identify with how those two at least seemed to be feeling.

Matt seemed to follow Jeff, not looking at either Edge or Punk as he followed his brother back towards their car. They all seemed aware of the fact that they had to get Wade somewhere where they could have him treated lest he get an infection or sickness in his human form that would cause some damage to his wolf form. Chris let them go even though he could sense that his mate wanted some retribution from the group for all they had suffered at their hands. “Seems like your plan has failed, Adam.” Edge snarled at the use of his given name, Chris feeling the urge to sink to the ground and sleep but he forced it away through sheer will; he couldn’t show weakness now more than ever. He had to stay strong at least until this situation culminated itself one way or another; however that may be.

“You sound so sure about that, Chris.” It was now just Edge and Punk on the field, and Cody felt that they seemed much too casual considering they were essentially outnumbered if you wanted to get technical. Almost as though he was aware of Cody thinking about him Punk turned and looked him dead in the eye, grinning. That grin sent cold shivers down Cody’s spine and he suddenly felt the sensation that must be what was termed ‘a deer caught in headlights.’ At that point Evan was standing with Chris, helping support his mate whilst making it look as though he just wanted to be held by him—which he did, obviously, but that wasn’t at the forefront of his mind right then. Punk moved forward, standing alongside Edge; though it was apparent that neither of them seemed especially… close with one another, for want of a better word. “You used that boy, Edge. You used the memory of his father to warp his mind and you would have sent him to his death—“Chris’ voice was powerful; the true tone of the alpha that Randy couldn’t remember hearing for years.

“But then,” Chris’ eyes narrowed, feeling a new anger welling in him wherein he was actually feeling compassion towards Wade (and by proxy Justin) now that he had Evan back, and Evan had expressed the wish for Chris to forgive the transgressions made against them, “—you never actually intended that Wade would win, did you?” the flash in Edge’s eyes was brief but noticeable and Cody couldn’t help gasping at the implication, Ted shifting uncomfortably besides him. That was so cold: Edge was going to leave Wade for dead just so that he could, what? And then, like a collective epiphany, the pack understood. Edge had been intending to have Wade weaken Chris, possibly at the expense of Wade’s life, so he could get the cheap attack.

Edge shrugged slightly, not looking the least bit remorseful. Ted had been wondering whether it was actually possible for someone to be the monster that Chris had described them as—but right then Edge at least was cementing in his mind that he was a monster. However, instead of trying to make excuses to Chris, Edge suddenly looked past him. He locked eyes with Randy and the man tensed slightly on reflex, feeling like the young man he had been when Edge had been someone that he had been around almost constantly. Back during a time when he hadn’t disproved the existence of a mate, but hadn’t been entirely too convinced about it either, when Edge had seemed to seek him out. On one level it could have seemed like Edge had believed that Randy was his mate, but Edge was one who did not believe in mates at all. “Aww, Rand, I’m disappointed… why didn’t you join in? I remember the way you always seemed to like gang play-time.” Randy felt his throat clench at the innuendo, knowing that he was blushing even though it probably wasn’t obvious through his tan. However, he was not the one who reacted on fury first—that dubious honour belonged to his mate, John.

Randy watched as, as though in slow motion, John was past Evan and Chris, sending the startled looking Edge to the ground. There was no change involved this time; this was nothing but pure human aggression. After a few punches being landed upon him it seemed that Edge recovered from his shock and began levelling punches back at John. Physically John might be bigger but with their natural enhanced strength the physical size alone meant nothing—as displayed by Chris and Wade just now when Chris had been the smaller. However, Edge was more experienced (in fighting both as a man and wolf) whereas John was still sort of wet behind the ears when it came to ‘dirty’ tactics. John was a man of honour and integrity, as displayed by his desire to serve his country in the army but Edge was a man who was more than happy to do whatever he had to, to ensure that he came out on top. “John!” the cry came out more desperate than he intended, Randy’s own instincts kicking in.

In moments the tallest of the group was running to the aid of his mate, but trying to pull the man away as opposed to getting involved. However, it seemed that that had been a signal that Punk was waiting for because suddenly the man was joining in the fray. Something seemed so wrong, so disorganised about the whole thing –considering that they were in human form as opposed to their much wilder wolf ones- that Ted found himself running to the aid of his friends, Cody giving a sound of surprise and concern behind him before giving chase. And then, suddenly, completely disproportionate to everything that was going on, a gunshot sounded of all things. All at once the fighting, the running and the concerned shouting for the others to come back stopped as though someone had clicked an off switch on everything. From the ‘dog-pile’ that had sprung up, Edge and Punk were the ones standing. Randy was kneeling besides John and the other man didn’t seem to be moving. In Edge’s hand was a small hand-gun. How had they not scented out the weapon earlier?

“It’s not over yet, Chris!” Edge looked borderline insane in that moment, Punk silently shadowing him still as they began heading back to the entrance they had first entered the field via. As he reached it Edge smirked viciously at the stunned, terrified and steadily furious Randy kneeling besides John. “If you want a bit of comfort, Rand, come and find me.” And then he and Punk were gone. “Chris!” Randy’s cracking voice broke through the spell previously cast over them and Chris hastened to his pack as fast as he could whilst being supported by Evan. John’s shirt-covered abdomen had been dyed red by the bullet; the blow would no doubt have obliterated his guts at that range had he been a normal human, but as it was he supposed that it was just agonisingly painful and potentially dangerous in terms of infection. “Right—fuck,” Chris was feeling dazed from his own blood-loss and exhaustion, and it was making him a little slow on the uptake. However, before he could comment further a quiet voice away from their group was murmuring softly, “You’ll need to carry him to a car and get him settled somewhere. I could take a look at him for you.”

Wheeling around, Chris was about to set Cody and Ted to take down the intruder, until he recognised the blonde man standing before him. He might have looked older than when Chris had last seen him but he’d recognise that many anywhere. “Christian?”


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Silver Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The race is on to get John back to the house to try and help him-- however, he's not the only one with wounds that need addressing.

The newcomer inclined his head in Chris’ direction. “Hi Chris, been a while. Randy, you carry him to the car. You—“ He pointed at Cody. “Go with and open doors or whatever for him. You—“ He indicated Ted. “Watch our backs, make sure none of them try sneaking back onto here. But don’t try to engage them yourself, whatever you do, just shout us or something. Chris... please put some pants on. I’ve popped your shoulder back into the socket and I’ve disinfected your scratches more times than I can count, but there’s no way I’m treating your dick for frostbite.”

Evan half-expected that Chris would have plenty to say about someone just walking in and giving orders when he was the alpha, but Chris just gave a weak snort at the last comment and looked around to locate his jeans. Evan did the same thing, suddenly desperately needing to cover the marks on his body – especially in front of this stranger. In spite of his fear for his mate and his friend, he was still desperately ashamed. Although this man was hardly a stranger to Chris, he knew. Chris might never have spoken of Edge and barely at all of Barrett, but he had shared reminisces about the past of the pack with Evan; Christian had featured in many of them. He had barely turned his head when a shirt was dangled in front of him, he blinked and looked up to see that Ted had taken off his own shirt to give to him on his way past to keep a look out. The small act of understanding made his eyes prickle again, Ted had to know that the one he had been wearing had belonged to the other pack and the last thing he needed was to smell of them any more than he already did. He didn’t know how to thank Ted, but the other man didn’t wait around for acknowledgement, merely left the shirt with him and walked several yards away from the rest of the pack, on full alert for possible attack.

Meanwhile, Randy seized on Christian’s calmness as a centre to the current situation. It had been a crazy day from the start and he’d already been agitated, but all those worries had been blown away the moment that he’d heard that sound, the gunshot, and seen his mate go down. He wasn’t surprised that they hadn’t scented the gun, Edge had kept his distance from the pack until John had lost his cool and attacked, by which point there was so much blood and adrenaline in the air that it was hard to smell anything else, probably the reason Christian had been able to go unnoticed too. But all those things were on the periphery of his mind; the centre of it was John. John’s face had gone pale in stark contrast to the redness seeping into his shirt, eyes closed, breathing far too rapid and too shallow. Randy felt a sense of déjà vu and stark terror filled him, this was far too much like the first time, when he had changed John without his permission rather than lose him. This time John might have the advantage of being more hardy from the outset, but the shot had been closer range, would have been immediately fatal had John still been human. Randy felt helpless in the face of the wound – but Christian was a voice of authority he remembered, one that he had listened to when he was younger and the same instinct remained. 

He lifted John as carefully as he could, wincing slightly as he saw a grimace of pain flit briefly over his mates face. That couldn’t be helped, they couldn’t remain where they were. He strode toward the exit, trying not to jostle John more than he had to, Cody racing before them to take care of any unforeseen problems (a dog-walker or jogger would be disastrous) and to help him get John into the car. As they left the field Randy had another horrible moment of déjà vu, the last time they had been to that field John had been injured too, more superficially than he was now but more than enough to cause Randy an insane amount of concern. Back then he had gone to get his mate to their car, only to find that it had been taken, the keys left inside and some opportunist stolen it while he went to save John from Punk’s assault. They had left the keys again and he had the sudden cold certainty that it had happened again, that John would bleed to death in his arms because Chris had all but thrown himself out of the car without caring to check it was secure.

But the car was still there, a seven seater that Chris rarely bothered to use but had hanging around in case of emergencies. The thought made Randy almost laugh, if this wasn’t an emergency, he didn’t know what was. 

Cody slid open the door for them and Randy laid John out over three of the seats, sitting in front of them and stroking John’s face tenderly. John was cold, but sweating and Randy was sure that was far from a good sign, but he didn’t dare to move John’s shredded shirt and see how bad the damage was. He would have no idea, he could only freak himself out by looking.

As if responding to his touch, John opened his eyes and focused them on Randy. They were clouded over and showed his pain, but Randy had never been more glad to see his mate looking back at him in his life. “Rand-“

“Hush, John,” replied Randy quietly. “We’re getting you home and we’ll make you well there. You’re gonna be okay, I swear it.”

John inhaled, let out a single choked cough and closed his eyes, opening them again after long moments. “S’everyone...”

“They’re all fine, no one’s really hurt, they’ll all be completely fine,” said Randy, not wanting John to lose his energy with talking or worrying, but not telling the entire truth either. Chris would heal, but he was hurt, barely on his feet. And Evan might not be in as bad shape physically, but he would more likely take the longest time to emotionally heal. Beneath the concern for his mate was a black, furious anger, but it would not be truly realised until he knew what was happening to his mate... one way or the other. 

Christian would have been right behind Randy, but he lingered a moment while Chris dragged on his jeans and his muddied shirt, Evan scrambling to follow suit. Chris noticed that although Evan pulled his jeans back on, it was almost reluctantly and he picked up his boxers and shoved them in his pocket rather than put them back on. With a pang, he realised that Evan would probably never wear those clothes again, he would never be able to. Not with what they represented. More likely he would burn them rather than even try to wash them clean. 

“Chris.” Christian’s voice was calm, but Chris could sense the underlying tension. “Wade banged you up pretty bad, but I need to take care of the new guy first. He’s worse off.”

For a moment, Chris thought Christian was referring to Cody, it had been a long time since John was ‘the new guy’ – but Christian wouldn’t know that of course. He nodded. It was a relief to have Christian there, he had been the unofficial medic back in the old days, the one to take care of their injuries – although the ones he was used to were a lot more trifling than a bullet wound for the most part. Even Barrett used to defer to Christian when it was an issue of health. “I’ll survive,” he said, feeling Evan’s arms go around him and resting some of his weight on his younger lover. He might survive but he was feeling bone-weary. But before he could rest, he needed to make sure John was taken care of... and that Evan was showered. Being able to smell the scent of others on his mate, their saliva, sweat and cum, was making it that much harder for him to think. He wanted to go back, finish the job he’d started whenever he allowed himself to relax his guard against those thoughts. 

“What are you doing back here?” he asked Christian, perhaps a bit belatedly.

“It’s a really long story,” replied Christian, starting to walk over to the exit, hustling Chris and Evan and waving a hand over at Ted to indicate for him to follow them. “We’ve got other things to worry about right now. I’ll tell you all about it soon.” He scowled a moment. “I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner.”

Chris was starting to feel slightly light-headed, his mind not as clear as it usually was. He felt a lot like he was all out of leadership skills right then, he’d simply used them all up defending against the other pack. “You cut your hair.”

Christian chuckled, the sound almost started. “So did you. I guess neither of us look like rock stars anymore.”

“I quit the rock star bit,” replied Chris. “Settled down. I’m getting too fucking old for all this shit.”

There was no time to comment on that; they were back at the car by this time, Chris hearing Randy’s voice murmuring to John. He had enough pride that he didn’t allow Christian to help him into the car, but he did accept a little aid from Evan, collapsing into the seat behind where John was lay. Evan sat next to him, taking his hand and leaning forward anxiously so that he could see what was going on. Christian jumped into the back and Ted slammed the door behind the man, taking the passenger seat in the front. Cody immediately started driving, uncaring about speed limits and road rules in his quest to get them back to the manor as soon as he could – losing his licence would really fuck him up work-wise but his career was the last thing on his mind right then. 

Christian knelt beside Randy in the cramped space made more so by the taller man’s bulk, completely illegal but as uncaring of that as Cody was of his own rulebreaking. Taking the hem of John’s shirt between his fists, he tore the fabric right up the centre, checking the wound out with only a slightly raised eyebrow to show any emotion over it. “What’s your name?”

“John,” the wounded man croaked, his voice sounding nothing at all like his usual confident, deep tones. Randy’s lips pressed together in a tight line, his attention on John’s face rather than where Christian was attending. 

“Shame we couldn’t have met under better circumstances.” Christian ripped the shirt further, using a shred of the fabric to clear away some of the blood and get a better look. “I’m Christian. I’m gonna need you to stay with me a little longer, we’ll be home soon and I’ll be better able to deal with this there. Just try and stay with me and remember to breathe, okay?”

“I have been shot before y’know,” slurred John, sounding oddly petulant. 

Christian chuckled. “I like you. You’ve got balls.” He glanced at Randy and added in a lower voice, “Your mate?”

Randy nodded, not trusting himself to speak past the lump in his throat. If anything were to happen to John... 

“He’s already starting to heal up,” said Christian, still keeping his voice pitched low. “But I’d feel a lot better if we could get back and clean this up, before it gets an infection or anything. And we need to get the bullet out. Shit, I bet you guys don’t even have anything to anaesthetise him with, do you?”

“We’ve got chloroform,” Ted piped up, unexpected and grim.

“Not that shit—“ John’s protest was somewhat weak though.

“Yes, that shit.” Randy took one of John’s hands, the other stroking over his mates hair. “Hush. Rest up.”

The rest of the journey back to the manor was conducted in relative silence, Randy occasionally giving John encouragement in low tones, Christian doing his best to staunch the bleeding wound, although the flow had become sluggish. Almost as soon as they had gotten in front of the main doors, Randy was opening the door to the car, only waiting for Cody to brake before lifting John out of the car. It was no easy task from the confined space and he heard John give a muffled whimper at one point as the movement aggravated the wound. Whispering an apology, Randy strode into the house with his mate in his arms, like some weird parody of a newlywed couple. The rest of the pack followed quickly, Chris trying to pretend he wasn’t struggling not to drag his feet and curl up on the step to sleep. Terror, fighting and injury had worn him down and it still wasn’t over, wouldn’t be until they knew that John was out of danger.

Christian’s eyes darted around the entrance to the manor, thinking quickly. “Randy, take John into the dining room – I assume you have a big table there?” Randy nodded the affirmative, starting to protest that they should use a bed, Christian cutting him off. “Bed later. Right now, I need somewhere well lit and I’ll need some shit from the kitchen. Randy, you’re my nurse for the moment. Take John and put him on the table. Wait with him two minutes, I’ll need you to get me some shit.”

Randy took off in the direction of the dining room and Christian glanced at Evan. “I don’t know your name either.”

“Evan,” mumbled the younger man. Now they were home and the immediate urgency was wearing off, guilt was starting to press down on him again. John wouldn’t even have been there if it wasn’t for him. And if John died, it was because of him. 

“Evan.” Christian’s voice was gentle. “I need you to clean all Chris’ wounds. You might be best off getting in the shower Chris, you look like you’ve got them all over. Evan, if you can just make sure that he doesn’t miss any and that they’re all completely clean, that’d be ideal. But try not to get soap in them, okay?”

Watching this, Ted had a sudden flash of insight. Evan smelled alien, nothing like himself thanks to whatever he had gone through at the hands of the other pack, he looked rumpled himself and had clearly taken a beating of his own. That had to be driving Chris insane, but he would never injure Evan’s already fragile psyche by telling him bluntly to wash their smell off him and although Evan had to hate it, he would be more concerned about Chris and John than himself. Masking the need for Evan to remove the smell and the evidence by asking him to take care of Chris was smart and although Ted had never met the man before that night, he was starting to gain a whole lot of respect for him.

Christian looked over at Ted and for the first time showed some uncertainty. It was clear that he was fine giving out orders when necessary for their well-being, but he wasn’t very comfortable doing so when it came to any other area. “There’s a human here. Should we be worried?”

For a moment Ted was at a loss, then he remembered. “He’s in the kitchen, tied up.” A slight snarl came to his lips. “He’s not a threat.”

Chris sighed. “I’d forgotten all about him. We can’t just let him hang around. Ted, Cody, I know it’s been a long day but can you deal with him?”

Ted tilted his head to one side.”How?”

“Just take him to a bus stop and give him twenty dollars or something. I don’t know. Get him away from here and tell him not to bother coming back.”

Cody spoke up, a little timidly. “But John—“

“I won’t have an audience,” said Christian, starting toward the dining room. “By the time you’re done, I might actually have some news. Better than waiting around here worrying.”

Biting his lip, Cody the nodded his head. Looking to Ted they shared a silent moment of communication before heading into the kitchen to take care of the steadily-returning-to-consciousness Drew. The way he was feeling right then Cody would have been happy to leave him in the middle of nowhere, but knew he wouldn’t. They took him out to the car, not unbinding his hands until they had him out at the bus-station. Cody gave him money as Christian said, Ted murmuring, “I suggest you go home, forget this ever happened and get on with your life. We’d both appreciate if you never came near us again.” They then got back into the car and left the man there waiting for the last bus.

“Do you think John’ll be OK?” Cody whispered his hand on Ted’s leg as his lover drove this time. Ted’s hands tightened around the wheel slightly, a pained and helpless expression appearing on his face. “I don’t know.” He admitted softly. “That wound looked… off,” from what he remembered back in his pre-marine training and everything. “God knows what they may have done to the bullet or whatever.” They both fell silent at that, the needle for the speed metre creeping up and up until Ted was forced to relinquish it down again when they were heading into the village; the last thing they needed was for their carelessness to cause the death of some very-late-night-pedestrian or something. When they reached the manor they had both been about to head for the kitchen to see whether there was anything they could help with, before remembering what Christian had said about not wanting an audience whilst he worked. Chris and Evan were also missing but further in the house and Ted bit his lip slightly; were they all ever really going to recover from this damage? None of this was to be taken lightly and it would be a long time before any of them were really Ok.

~~~

The dining-room was filled with light from the overhead lighting, all of the lights being used as opposed to just a couple. The table had been cleared of any items and a cloth lain out, John lain atop the cloth and squinting in pain, light-headedness and against the light. Christian knew that it had to be uncomfortable for him but he couldn’t have the lights down because he’d accidentally mess-up by mistake if he couldn’t see. John’s blood-stained shirt had been eased open once again from where it had fallen closed from where Christian had shredded it apart before, bearing the healing but sizable wound in John’s abdomen. Randy saw Christian’s eyes narrowed slightly with obvious concern when he looked at the wound and he couldn’t resist asking thickly, “What? What is it?” the blonde man beckoned him forward slightly and murmured, “Can you see a singe-like circumference around the wound?” Randy didn’t know why he was being asked such a random question, but deduced that Christian wasn’t just fucking with him in some manner and wasting precious seconds of John’s life, and so he looked –reluctantly- at John’s bloody abdomen. What he saw made his eyes widen and his heart seemed to skip a few beats. John’s flesh had been singed around the bullet-hole.

“What the fuck is that?” he choked out, eyes darting towards John’s face and seeing that his mate was still conscious if fading fast. “I was afraid they might have done this.” The blonde growled, reaching for the chloroform that Randy had brought into the dining-room previously after Christian had set John up on the table and washed his hands thoroughly with soap to prevent any further chances of infection. “Silver.” Randy sucked in a breath at the pointed explanation; Christian needn’t say more than that one word and Randy knew exactly what had happened. The ‘Hollywood’ tales about their species were not completely incorrect: they were seriously allergic to genuine silver. Anything and everything in their homes that had to be silver was stainless steel and things like that. Touching silver even fleetingly caused their skin to blister for at least 48 hours. Randy swallowed thickly, looking up to where Christian was moving to the end of the table where John’s head was.

“I’ll do that.” He said quickly, seeing what Christian was going to do. Christian looked as though he was going to tell him to stop being so ridiculous or wasting time or something when Randy added on in a low growl, “John hates any sort of pain medications or things like chloroform—he wasn’t being petty earlier when he had wanted to refuse it. If you give it to me then he’ll have no choice but to take it.” John would never deny him if Randy came out and asked him outright to take it. The Canadian had to concede that he needed John under the effects of chloroform as soon as possible and if Randy could have him take it easier then he shouldn’t fuss. He handed the rag to the other man as he turned his attention to the impromptu tools that they had gathered from the kitchen that would serve as medical equipment for the following procedure. Randy was so glad that John wasn’t going to be aware of what was happening to him soon.

“Ortz…” Randy shushed the other, swallowing and licking his lips. He pressed the cloth against John’s mouth and nose and watched as his mate weakly tried to fight it off. “Baby, please—“never before had Randy begged, but at that moment in time he would have thrown himself on his knees before John and begged him to breathe in. “—you need to breathe in. You need to breathe in nice and deep for me.” Randy watched as John managed to force his eyes open a little more, their gazes meeting, silent communication happening between the two. It was the tears in Randy’s eyes that settled the matter for John and the man pushed all his reservations and fear aside before taking several deep breaths. He was out before Christian had even counted to ten, and Randy let the cloth fall to the table besides John’s head now that it had served its purpose. “Why silver?” he asked, his voice coming out as little more than a growl. Christian admired how Randy was keeping control and also seriously appreciated it given that they hadn’t the time for hysterics.

“Probably to try and prevent the wound from healing—“Christian muttered as he began cleaning the blood from John’s wound as much as possible before then cleaning it separately with the supplies from the hardly-used first-aid kit that he had been given by Chris before he and Evan had gone upstairs. He had a horrible feeling he knew that had gone down concerning his long-term friend’s mate… and he had no idea how this was going to impact upon Chris’ actions in the future. Whatever had happened before he had arrived may not be enough retribution for him—and now they had Randy’s own vendetta to consider. Christian wished he could say he was surprised by the sick action of Edge’s (and Punk’s, if he had scented it right) but he wasn’t. He was just glad that it seemed as though they had gotten John back in time; silver needed several hours for the effects to really be felt by them.

“But it’s Ok, we’re gonna get to it in time.” Randy nodded and fell back slightly to John’s head once more when he saw that Christian was preparing to extract the bullet. One of his hands took John’s, curling his fingers through the slightly cold, clammy ones of his mate and watching the rise and fall of John’s chest as air was taken in and then expelled through his slightly parted lips. “Please, John-John,” he whispered, uncaring whether or not Christian could hear his tender words, “Don’t leave me baby. You’ve made it through once you can do it again.” Tears stung at Randy’s eyes once more as he vowed in a low, resonating growl, “I swear to you John: if it’s the last thing I do, I will destroy Edge for good.” Probably not his most productive thought, but it was the strongest one he had then outside of praying for John to be safe by the end of this.

~~~~~~~~

Entering their room when they had made sure that Christian had everything he needed to take care of John, Chris then headed into the bathroom to get the shower turned on so that the water was heated. He then pulled off his soiled clothing, knowing there was little chance he was going to get the bloodstains out and so tossing the items aside into the nearby bin. Evan had done the same behind him, but the younger man knew that he was going to burn those clothes at the first chance he got; throwing them away wouldn’t be enough, because it would always plague him to know that they were out there—as though someone would know what had happened to him if they found them. No words were spoken between them as Evan helped Chris into the tolerably-hot shower, the water cascading down upon both of them in a rush that had Chris grinding his teeth in pain as well as sighing in pleasure at the gentle soothing sensation that was now moving over his tired, aching body. The water turned pink and cloudy underneath their bodies as dried blood and other substances were washed from their skins. Evan kept his head bowed as he got the soap, beginning to carefully tend to Chris’ body whilst painstakingly making sure he avoided his wounds.

So focused was he on not falling asleep standing up there under the water that he didn’t realise at first that something was wrong with Evan. When he registered his mate’s hands shaking Chris straightened up and turned his head. “Evan—“he felt his heart shudder as he took in the way Evan was biting down on his already abused lip to prevent his sobs from being heard over the rushing of the water, the tears mingling with the overhead flow as is shoulders rose and fell, hands shaking from where they now rested upon Chris’ exposed back. “Evan—“he repeated but Evan shook his head, a broken sob leaving his cracked lips as he took in the sight of the somewhat-but-nowhere-near-totally-healed wounds that marred his mate’s body. He was the reason that Chris, and the others, had all been put into danger. He was the reason that John was currently downstairs and being operated on with a potentially life-threatening wound. It was all his fault. His naïveté had nearly cost him everything he held dear, and once again he had been essentially taken advantage of in the worse possible way.

“I’m so- so sorry!” Evan shook his head hard enough to send water droplets flying from his short hair and landing on the frosted glass ‘shower-curtain’ that shielded them from view. “I—oh God, it’s all my fault—I’m so fucking useless!” Evan’s entire body was shaking and Chris was powerless but to watch as the break-down he had been terrified of happening, happened. He had thought for a moment that maybe it wasn’t going to be so difficult to bring Evan back from that place once everything had been sorted out and they had all calmed down… but then John had been hurt too and Chris was sure that something else would have been the final straw regardless of what had happened. It could have been any of them, it could have been anything besides a stabbing, and Evan would have still broken. His heart and conscience couldn’t take the strain.

“I couldn’t do anything!” Evan wasn’t looking at anything really, his arms wrapping around himself now in a gesture that was achingly vulnerable and broken. “I should have known something wasn’t right after everything—I should have known when he started acting weird, even before he touched me, that something wasn’t right—but I didn’t. I’m so fucking stupid!” the self-loathing was so reminiscent of Evan several years ago that Chris felt déjà vu momentarily breaking through his concern and still burning anger and adrenaline, both slightly tempered by his weariness. He went to reach for Evan, but the other flinched away from him, curling into the tiled wall somewhat as he continued to rant, his eyes terrifyingly expressionless even with the tears. “—Randy wouldn’t have been taken down in a fight, even if it had been three-on-one. John wouldn’t have let them take him. Ted wouldn’t of done so, and you wouldn’t have done so—hell, even Cody would probably have been able to fight them off or recognise the signs sooner!” it was only when Evan’s hand started reaching for something atop the little tray that Chris managed to break through his own trance, “Evan, no!” he yelled.

It was dangerous to tussle over anything on a wet surface, but a concussion was nothing compared to what he had gone through that night and a small price to pay for making sure that Evan didn’t hurt himself out of some misguided shame. Yes, Chris was angry that Evan had disobeyed him, but he couldn’t ever blame the other for anything that had happened when he had been abducted. “Evan, stop this—“Evan was so hysterical that Chris had no choice but to immediately use his alpha-rank to have Evan relinquish the blade. It terrified Chris how Evan tried to resist, to keep the razor in his shaking hand, but when Chris had it he tossed it out of the shower completely. Evan sank to the floor, head going into his hands and sobs beginning afresh. Feeling a few tears of his own slipping out Chris sat onto the shower floor with his mate, arms enveloping Evan and drawing him into his chest.

“Evvy,” he murmured as the younger man trembled against him, head buried against Chris’ chest. “This isn’t your fault. You didn’t attack me and you didn’t shoot John either. That was them. If they hadn’t have used you to lure us out, they would have found some other way. This confrontation would have had to happen and Wade would still have attacked me, Edge would still have had the gun.” He could have said something about Evan leaving the house and meeting up with a stranger against his express wishes, but he knew it wasn’t the time. And that urge to help people in trouble, that trust in others, was as much a part of Evan as his expressive brown eyes or the way he turned to a wolf every full moon; if this night had killed that part of Evan forever then Chris would be devastated. 

But it was not only himself and John who had been hurt that day, they had been casualties of the fight but Evan had been hurt far more cruelly and deliberately. Chris didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t want to force Evan to have to think about any of that, if there was some way he could simply wipe the others mind of any memory of what had happened, he would do so without a qualm. Unfortunately, he didn’t have that power and somehow, he was going to have to find a way for them to his mate to start learning to deal with what had had happened to him. That anything had happened made him coldly furious. It wasn’t enough for them to take Evan, taunt him. They had to abuse him too. 

The shower was still running but neither man paid it any mind, the water merely serving as a backdrop to counteract what otherwise might have been silence. “Baby,” he said, knowing he would never be ready to hear the answer but he had to know, if he were to have any hope of Evan recovering – and the sight of his mate with the razor in his hand had scared him badly, the bolt of fear sending adrenaline around his body and waking him up again. Temporary reprieve, but he needed it. “How bad did they hurt you?”

For a moment Evan froze completely, then began shaking wildly in Chris’ arms, as if suffering from a sudden bout of arctic cold. “Someone saw us,” he said, never raising his head from Chris’ chest. “I could see he knew something was wrong, but I, I just c-couldn’t – I thought they might hurt him too and I didn’t want for anyone else to get hurt...”

“Okay Puppy, okay.” Chris kept his voice soothing, one hand stroking the back of Evan’s neck, the other on his back, his face against Evan’s hair and dropping the occasional kiss there. “I know you didn’t. It’s okay.” It was a long way from okay he knew, but he felt a slight twinge of pain that had nothing to do with his wounds. That was Evan all over, more worried about what might happen to others than to himself, taking his chances with a bunch of psychos he knew for sure would harm him rather than risk dragging a defenceless onlooker into the scene. 

“I nearly got away.” Evan’s voice seemed to have lost its hysterical tone but had taken on a monotonous flatness, devoid of life, that Chris didn’t like one bit. “Edge had mace, he got me with it and then they took my phone and Justin took me into the room and tied me... tied me to the b-bed...” His shoulders started shaking again and Chris felt his body tensing. It wasn’t the first time he had heard such a tale from Evan but the first time when he had been responsible for his mate at the time and could have done something to prevent it. Should have done. He should have been awake and concerned right away, not taken his time waking and assumed everything was okay. 

“He was pissed at me, I broke his nose and he h-hurt me, he kept on hitting me and then he started to bite and – oh god, he was in my mouth and I couldn’t stop him... and then Wade came in when he was pulling off my boxers, he said he wanted to finish but Wade said they had to go and then he came over and he was licking me and – there was this l-look in his eyes and I knew he was wondering if they had the time and I couldn’t do anything and I was so fucking stupid, it was all my fault!”

“No it wasn’t.” Chris moved both of his hands to cup Evan’s skull, coaxing the other to lean his head away so that he could look Evan in the face. Seeing Evan like that hurt, far more than any of the wounds he’d received during the fight with Wade. There was so much pain in Evan’s eyes, guilt, the lingering memory of a life he’d tried so hard to put behind him. And a terrible shame and self-loathing that Chris wanted to put out right away, but had no idea how to. 

“It wasn’t your fault Evan,” he said, still quiet but very certainly, looking directly into Evan’s eyes the whole time. “You just wanted to help someone you thought needed it. It’s not your fault that they’re psychos.”

He moved to kiss Evan, for the first time since the fight, but Evan twisted his head away so that Chris’ mouth grazed his cheek. Chris leaned away, but Evan refused to meet his eyes. “Not – no Chris. Not yet. I need to brush my teeth, I can still taste him.”

Chris leaned his head against Evan’s shoulder a moment, kissed the skin over his pulse before pulling his head back. “Okay Puppy,” he said, wondering how many times he could use that meaningless word okay before it began to be true. He let his fingers trace over Evan’s face, examining the rest of his lovers body before reaching for the soap. The hell with what Christian said about getting soap in his wounds, they would heal quickly. This could take longer and it had to start here. He took care to run the soap over Evan’s torso, obliterating the scents of those wolves that had dared to try to sully his love. A minute or so after he started, Evan started to sob again, but more quietly than before, less hysterical but more desolate and Chris felt his heart break at the sound. 

“Better Evvy?” he asked when he had finished, watching as Evan nodded his head, still curled up at the foot of the shower and looking more broken than Chris had ever seen him, more so than the other times when his mate had taken refuge in this spot and tried to exorcise the ghosts of his past. 

Chris rose, climbed out of the shower and shut off the water, sensing that given a chance Evan would stay there all night, head hung with the water pouring unheeded around him. Wrapping a towel around his own waist, he grabbed the largest towel in their bathroom and coaxed Evan out from the cubicle, wrapping the towel around him and pulling the smaller man into his arms. Evan’s head rested against his chest, but for the most part he was unresponsive. Evan was never, ever unresponsive, he wore his heart and his emotions in the open and that small gesture told Chris of his internal numbness. 

“Evan,” he murmured, knowing the man would not be pleased with him for pulling rank, but not daring to do otherwise. He couldn’t watch over Evan every second of every day, much as he needed to and it scared him that while his back was turned, Evan might turn himself over to the part of him that had given up. “You will do nothing to harm yourself.”

Evan’s eyes flashed at him a moment, a spark of the man who had captured Chris’ heart and took no shit from him, even if he was the pack leader. But then his head lowered and he took the towel into his own grip, moving away from Chris to the sink and grabbing his toothbrush. Chris watched him a moment, pressing his lips together a moment against the unfamiliar rush of emotion. “I love you Evan,” he said quietly, knowing that the other could hear him. Evan paused a moment, hand still on his toothbrush, breath hitching before he went very slowly to continue his movements. 

Chris watched Evan’s back, desperately wondering how he could bring Evan back to him. He had done it once before, but that was something Evan had some control over, no matter how little and how much he hated it. How was he supposed to save Evan from this?

“If anyone in our pack is to blame for any of this,” he added. “It’s me.”

Evan had been squeezing paste onto his toothbrush; at Chris’ words he turned to look at the other, a frown of confusion and worry on his face. Chris looked down a moment, then back at Evan. “I had the chance to take down Edge a long time ago. I had my teeth at his throat and I backed down. Because he begged me and because I didn’t want his death on my conscience. But when I let him go, I gave him a chance to come back. He warped Wade and Justin, he turned them into weapons and aimed them at us – they might never have become this if I’d done what I should have done. I gave them the chance to do all of this and I’m sorry Evan. I should never have shown him mercy.”

Evan stared for a moment, then a change came over his face, shock, disbelief and remorse; a moment later he’d crossed the bathroom and flung his arms around Chris’ shoulders, burying his face in Chris’ neck. “Never blame yourself,” he said fiercely. “You’re a good man. You did the right thing and his actions aren’t on your head.”

“And certainly not on yours,” replied Chris, arms going around Evan’s back. “You’re the one who saved Wade’s life today. You’re the most compassionate person I ever met and just because someone took advantage of that, it’s not your fault Puppy. I love you.”

“I love you too Chris.” Evan was still shaking, but Chris hoped that he had gotten the message through somehow. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.”

They embraced a moment longer, then Evan released Chris and returned to the sink, picking the toothbrush and paste from the sink where he had dropped them. Chris left him there, knowing that Evan was going to take a long, long time over something that would normally take only a minute or two. They had to change clothes, he wanted Evan to be safely resting before he went to find out how John was faring. He needed to find out how and why Christian was back after so long, there was the little matter of putting the whole manner on full security and Ted and Cody weren’t even back yet. Sighing, he rubbed his hand through his hair as he dug out sweats for them both. Fuck. This night was never going to be over.

~:~

Extracting a bullet was never going to be easy at the best of times. Extracting a bullet of a metal the medic was highly allergic to with barely any medical equipment was horrific. Christian tried to keep his cool, his composure and a belief in himself and his skills, because if he lost any of those, then he’d be screwed. Worse, John would be dead. He had never thought he’d have to extract a silver bullet from anyone, but it was just the kind of sick thing that Edge would talk about and Punk might actually goad him into doing. The Edge Christian had known would have never got beyond talk, but that had been a long time ago and a lot had gone on between then and now. 

He’d been forced to slice open the wound further, the tools at his disposal simply inadequate to do anything else. This would not normally have been a problem, John would have healed up nicely, but the silver was something new and ominous. He didn’t know how it would affect John’s healing or his chances of survival. Frankly, he was terrified. He’d begun medical school, but an encounter with a wolf back in Canada meant his internship would never happen, not when he had very specific times when he couldn’t be on call. He’d taken out bullets before, but not with this much at stake and medicine wasn’t something he practiced unless it was wholly necessary. 

He could see the questions in Randy’s eyes and didn’t know that he could reassure them. Probably Randy wasn’t in the mood for small talk either, although it usually made Christian feel better and distracted him from his own worry about his actions. And now he was trying to remove a silver bullet from a living patient with a pair of fucking tweezers. He forced the enormity of the act away. All he could do was try and if he didn’t, John would die. There was a good chance he’d die anyway, but the silver hadn’t actually stopped John’s wound from healing and Christian was afraid that if it did, the chance to remove the bullet would be gone and it would poison John slowly and agonisingly, until he died from it.

No use in overthinking it, he told himself, just fucking do it.

Gritting his teeth, he pulled John’s wound apart, able to see the base of the bullet embedded in solid muscle. It didn’t seem to have broken apart on impact, which was one small mercy. Had that happened, then there would be no chance of him saving his patient. “Randy, keep that chloroform handy and if he starts waking, use it again. Don’t let him come round.”

“I got it.” Randy’s voice was grim, shaky. Christian had known Randy a long time and had never heard that voice from him, not even when Barrett had died and the whole pack had been tearing itself apart. 

“Fuck!” Christian took a breath, blocked his mind from any possible consequence and just acted, managing to get the bullet with the tweezers on his second try. His hands were surprisingly steady, although he knew well enough that when it was all over and he allowed himself to think about what he was doing, then he would be shaking quite enough. He pulled at the bullet, which was slicked with blood and for a moment he thought he might lose it – and the tweezers did lose the grip, but not before the bullet was most of the way out. Cursing to himself, he grabbed one of the sterile wipes they had been using on the wound and one of the few medical supplies that were actually around, using it to take hold of the bullet without touching it with his own skin. He flung bullet and wipe across the room as if they had turned to insects in his hand, returning his attention to the wound in John’s stomach. He didn’t like that there might be some trace left inside the man, but all he could use was the supplies they had to hand. No way could they explain taking John to a hospital having been shot with a silver bullet. No matter how many people Chris could buy off, there would be some hard questions. 

“I’m about to close him up.” Christian looked up at Randy, face rather pale. “Keep him unconscious. Don’t let him wake up. It’s going to be a while before he’s not in pain, no matter how this heals up.” He hesitated, knowing he would have to tell Randy the truth, no matter how hard it was. Randy had never cared to have his feelings spared. “I don’t know if I’ve done him any good. I tried everything but – I don’t know Randy. I can’t say for sure.”

Randy’s hands were shaking, Christian noticed, but his face was a mask of forced calm that did little to hide the very real fear and fury beneath. “Thanks Christian,” he said quietly. “For trying, even if it didn’t work. I owe you.” He looked down at John’s pale face. “But he’ll make it. I know he will. John’s the most stubborn bastard I ever met and – well, he’ll live. He has to. He’s not gonna... he’ll live.”

Christian nodded, suddenly feeling terribly sad for this whole situation and set about stitching John back up. It might be hours before they knew if John would make it, or if he had merely prolonged his life for him to be poisoned from within. In the meantime, all they could do was make him comfortable and hope for the best. One thing the pack had a supply of was surgical tape, probably for injuries that might take a while to heal on their own. Fixing John with that made Christian feel like he was patching a dam with duct tape, but it was the best that he could do. 

Now all that was left was to wait and see if John would live or die.


	16. Chapter Fifteen: The Night After Is Always Longest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pack tries to recover the aftermath of the Challenge and Chris and Christian have a catch-up.

One occasion of vomiting in the sink and a total of three times brushing his teeth later Evan started to feel slightly less disgusting in that aspect. He hadn’t eaten since his abduction and in the back of his mind he was aware that he was hungry but at the same time he knew that he couldn’t face the prospect of food. The ravenette entered their bedroom when he had spent about five minutes also gargling mouthwash. He knew what he had done probably wasn’t good for his teeth but it made him feel less filthy and so he didn’t care much about the long-term effects if he was honest. The ravenette saw that Chris was once again dressed, but in some sweat-pants and a t-shirt. The man was dressed casually but Evan could still feel the lingering pain and tension, the exhaustion exuding from his mate. Truthfully he wanted to just have Chris go to bed to sleep, but the other man wouldn’t do so until he had done everything he deemed necessary to be done. One part of him wanted to crawl into bed and curl up, never coming out into the open again, but the other part of him didn’t feel worthy of sharing a bed with Chris anymore and was actually about five minutes away from going out to sleep in the woods. Despite what any of the others said Evan knew that he had caused so much damage that night, whether inadvertently or not, he still had.

Turning as his mate entered the bedroom, Chris felt his stomach plummet as he took in the sight of the fading bite-marks that his mate had littered over his beautiful body. Even though the marks had gone down quite a bit from when they had first been given Chris could tell that they had been rather vicious; a realisation that had the man wanting to hunt down Wade and Justin and whoever else had taken such liberties upon his Evan and definitely show them no mercy. Hell, had Evan not been the one to ask him to spare Wade then he honestly wasn’t sure he would have actually been able to stop himself. Once more the smaller man wasn’t looking at him and that made Chris’ heart ache as he really didn’t know how he could make Evan see that none of them pack would hold him liable for anything that had happened, and that Chris didn’t view him differently after everything that had happened to him. If anything Chris was sure that he was going to be even more possessive and protective than he had been, and on one hand he was scared that this would push Evan further away from him but at the same time he couldn’t bring himself to actively tell himself that he wouldn’t mollycoddle Evan in such a fashion. Right then Evan wouldn’t welcome it, but before too long, when the hurt faded, he would.

Seeing the long-sleeved flannel pyjamas Chris had lain out for him Evan felt his eyes prickle slightly; those were the types of pyjamas that he had used to wear when he needed comfort, needed reassurance that nobody could see the marks that had haunted his dreams and waking moments for months after being taken away from his prostituting and settling down with Chris. Marks that were not entirely unlike the ones that he had been given by the vengeful Justin. Not everyone had been nice to him when he had been in the game, but money had been money and at the time Evan had had no other choice. Once again Evan hadn’t had a choice in the matter, but this time he felt as though he should have been able to do more than he had been able to than he back when he had been human and vulnerable. He swallowed around the lump in his throat, nodding his head to his mate in silent thanks as he moved towards the bed. As Evan’s hands reached for the soft, clean pyjama pants and shirt he was going to change into Chris noticed that the slender, capable fingers were shaking worse than the time Evan had been out playing in the snow with the others one Christmas and he’d lost track of time— only this time there was no innocent reason of cold for the action. Evan’s naked body was soon obscured by the material, the younger man then drying the lingering dampness from his hair before then throwing the towel towards their hamper.

Usually he could make that shot without any problem but that evening his aim was understandably off. If anything this minor ‘failure’ of Evan’s seemed to make the man even more dejected and Chris stood up, heading around to the end of the bed where Evan stood, gently wrapping his arms around the other. Although Evan tensed and didn’t lean back into his hold the way he usually was he didn’t pull away from him and Chris took the encouraging sign as such. “I’m going to go downstairs and check on John,” Chris’ voice was quiet, subconsciously concerned by the fact that he’d set Evan off into hysterics once more if his voice was too loud. “Do you want to come down too or would you rather go to bed?” Evan could sense that Chris wanted him to just go to bed and go to sleep, but he didn’t think (pathetic as it might seem) that he could face the darkness of their bedroom alone. “I’ll come down too.” The smaller man’s voice was quiet, but firm and Chris knew that arguing with him wouldn’t get them anywhere and so he nodded his head. “Ok, come on then.” He pressed a kiss to Evan’s cheek, squeezing him gently.

As he headed out of the room ahead of the other, Chris was only minutely startled when both of Evan’s hands wrapped around his in a manner that reminded him of a little child who’d been startled by something and was seeking the presence of someone close to them, like a parent or guardian. Someone who made them feel safe and secure. Chris may have failed in the respect that he hadn’t done more to prevent Evan from being kidnapped in the first place, but he wasn’t going to fail now in the aftermath. His mate needed him more than ever and he was going to do anything and everything in his power to make it better, no matter how long it took. Curling his fingers around Evan’s securely, silently assuring the other that he wasn’t alone, Chris then continued down the stairs. When they reached the hallway he saw Cody and Ted sitting in the living-room, holding one another close and looking at the kitchen door. “He not finished yet?” Chris asked, the pair so focused on the door that they jumped at the sound of his voice even though it was relatively quiet. “No yet.” Ted said lowly, biting his lip. “Can’t really tell how it’s going either.”

Randy was anxious and tense but that didn’t tell them anything really given that in the circumstances he was bound to feel like that. Chris nodded to the two younger men and then began moving towards the kitchen door. Even before he reached it, it swung open towards him and Christian stepped out. There was a collective internal flinch when they saw that Christian was covered in John’s blood from whatever he had been doing to help the man, the scent seemingly very thick in the air thanks to their enhanced senses. Christian met his friend’s eyes and spoke firmly, “There’s no more bleeding and so far the wound has held together. However he’s not out of the woods yet and we’ll need to keep a vigilant eye on him for a while.” Christian saw that his words had caused confusion and he nodded understandingly to the uncertainty before then grimly clarifying, “It seemed that Edge has learnt a new trick. The bullet that John was shot with was silver.” Chris, Ted and Evan all reflexively flinched and growled, whereas Cody looked minutely confused. Seeing the other man’s confusion Christian elaborated for him, “Since your change have you attempted to touch anything that was solid silver?” the confusion didn’t abate and Christian assumed the answer even before it was given, “No, why? Should I have?” Immediately the Canadian shook his head, eyes narrowing, “No, don’t—we’re so allergic it can be borderline deadly.”

“Oh.” In Cody’s defence it was a bit hard to know what to say to something like that. Christian nodded, “The old tales of silver bullets might not be entirely true, but it seems that somewhere along the line our kind has developed intolerance to silver. Only pure stuff though, which is quite lucky given that it’s rather rare now and we can get away with stainless steel substitutions for most things, or other faux-metals that have no effect on us whatsoever.” Cody nodded, startling slightly when Randy suddenly stood up and looked to Christian, “Can we go and check on him now?” the Canadian was about to tell his ex pack-mate that it wouldn’t work so fast –if it did- but at the same time he knew that it would be harder to refuse the younger man. “We’ll go and check.” The other knew that the rest of the group would follow, Chris’ mate sticking closer to him than ever before, though he seemed to be incapable of looking any of them in the eye. He didn’t know what they had exactly done to him, but he could have bet that Edge –and probably Punk- had been the ones to float the idea into a public forum; Edge might have been his friend at one point in time but he wasn’t about to lie and say that the man was completely normal, and lacking any slightly unusual tendencies… they hadn’t nicknamed the third Canadian the ‘Master Manipulator’ for nothing, and Punk was just as bad he knew.

~:~

It was an excruciating pain that forced John into consciousness the next thing he knew; a burning ache in his abdomen and gut-wrenching nausea forcing to curl into a semi-foetal position even as he went to get up via his hands and knees. His head was pounding and when he opened his eyes the brightly lit room around him was spinning like the waltzers at the fair he had used to go to when he had been a kid. A sound almost like a cross between a growl and a howl left him. Suddenly, two hands he’d recognise anywhere went to his back and side and steered him to lay back out flat and John did as they were bidding him to since he had no will to fight. “John…” the usual rumbling voice sounded weak, slightly thick and disbelieving which spurred John into opening his eyes even though he had been previously thinking he never wanted to open his eyes again. Ever. Seeing the ashen colour of his mate’s face had John momentarily confused; the amount of chloroform that he had had last night and the intense pain and sickness making him slower than usual to recall what had happened, to understand what had brought such a reaction to his love’s face. “Randy… have you been crying--?” he started.

And then, suddenly, everything came rushing back to him: the previous fight between Chris and Wade, the way Edge had lewdly propositioned his mate after threatening their pack, the way that Evan had been abused taken away from their charge, the scuffle and then—he sat up so fast he momentarily heaved, though nothing came up given that he hadn’t eaten for well over twelve hours by that point. “What—?” he stopped, blinking in apparent confusion as he looked around the dining room, seeing that he was lain out over the table and that there was a thick cloth lain out underneath him that was covered in patches of blood. His blood. That was a rather daunting prospect. One arm curled gingerly over his exposed, raw-still-healing-and-with-exposed-stitches abdomen, the other hand reaching and cupping the cheek of his tired looking mate. “What time is it?” he croaked, feeling completely out of sorts and well beyond in pain. “It’s five in the morning now,” Randy said, his own voice somewhat croaky and dry; the light that had been bothering John had been coming from the overhead light which Randy had just left on given than he was watching over the other. John looked down at his abdomen and grimaced slightly at the sight.

“I could have sworn even my first gunshot wound didn’t look this bad…” he muttered and Randy growled softly at the injury, though he seemed to calm when John caressed his cheek. “What happened?” he asked, not really remembering much past mumbles and shapes after he had been shot; he could vaguely recall that people had been talking to him, and that he had been moved around a bit, but after that he was getting nothing and it was rather disconcerting. Randy told him about Christian patching him up and suggesting that they leave John there rather then disturb him, and how he himself had refused to go to bed and sat vigilant at his side. Sensing that John was about to tell him off for scrimping out on sleep Randy frowned softly, standing and taking John’s face in both his palms and having his mate look him in the eye. “I couldn’t sleep in our bed without you.” The emotions shifting and flashing in those expressive eyes Randy possessed had John reached to draw his mate close. He hissed and winced at the way the movement aggravated his wound but refused to let Randy go. Despite knowing he was probably hurting the other Randy couldn’t resist holding the other back tightly; that previous night they had actually lost John for a few minutes when the reaction to the silver and his healing adrenaline had clashed and overloaded the man’s heart, but miraculously they had brought him back. Knowing it would upset John he wasn’t going to tell him, but those few minutes had seemed like a lifetime to Randy and he swore his own life had flashed before his eyes; nothing but a continuous shade of grey until John had come into his life.

“Where’s everyone else?” Randy quirked a small smile at the fact that John was more concerned about the other’s than his own life-threatening injury. “Chris ordered them all to bed.” He said, “Though he went up with Evan, since he seems really freaked out about being alone right now—“he tilted his head, “I’m sure that he and Christian stayed up talking though, since I know Chris’ been dying to ask him why he’s here, and why now, although obviously I can never repay him for saving you.” He rested his forehead atop John’s, kissing the other’s lips fleetingly and mumbling, “You’re going to hurt for some time. Edge shot you at point-blank rang with a silver bullet—“Randy could feel the shock and slight fear from his mate as John took stock of why his wound was so different, shaking his head in disgust, “I know he never would have thought of such a thing on his own…” he started to pull away, though seemed reluctant, “I should go tell the others you’re up.”

“Wait.” John reached out again as Randy started to draw away from him, mildly appalled by his own weakness – he knew damn well he had only felt this way once before and that in the moments before he had been changed; his first bullet wound had been serious and he certainly hadn’t been able to do much more than lie and bleed and wait for his attacker to finish him off. But once he had been changed, the wound had started to mend almost instantly and although he hadn’t been up to full throttle for several weeks afterward, he had at least been able to control his motor skills. Unlike now, when he felt as weak as a kitten and nowhere near as playful. But he was able to take hold of Randy’s hand, gripping it as tightly as he was able and glad to feel Randy’s fingers curl around his. 

“I don’t want the others here yet,” he said. “They’re probably still resting anyway. In a while we will, but – not right now.” He didn’t say that he just wanted a few moments with Randy, nor that when the others did come to check on him he wanted to appear a whole lot better than he probably seemed right then. And thhe knew Randy would prefer the time to compose himself a little better, or would see it at that way with hindsight. But he didn’t have to vocalise those things, Randy seemed to know just what he meant and gave a brief nod, the ghost of a smile on his face. 

“And I wanna be going back to our own bed,” he added firmly, or as firmly as he was able given the raspiness of his voice. “Lying here bleeding all over the table we have to eat of is not hygienic, or dignified.” Randy managed a slight chuckle at that, settling back down on the chair beside John and never once letting go of his hand. 

~:~

Evan was finally asleep, Chris noted, looking over his lover in the semi-dark with eyes that were sharp enough to make out his features even in the dimness. Evan was breathing evenly and deeply, but there was a frown on his face and he didn’t seem at all peaceful. The covers were pulled right to his chin, hands holding them in place, in stark contrast to how he would usually let them slip to around his waist and lie on his back with an arm thrown over his head. And he still hadn’t tried to kiss Chris. Although Chris understood the reticence, he still found it slightly ominous. There was nothing Chris would like more than to wrap his arms around Evan and join him in sleep, let his own wounds and weariness be taken care of, but there was something he had to do first and he finally felt safe enough to let Evan out of his sight – although he already knew it wouldn’t be for long. 

He had asked Ted to show Christian to one of the spare rooms, not doing so himself only because of Evan and how nervous the other seemed at the moment. Not that he wasn’t nervous himself, as soon as he exited the room and Evan was out of his sight, he felt stressed and tense, wanting to return so that he could watch over the other while he slept. So that nothing else could happen to him. But that wasn’t realistic and if he gave in to that urge, then he would be neglecting his duties as pack leader. While it was true that Christian had helped them a tremendous amount, saved John’s life by all accounts (and that alone was something that Chris could never repay him for), Chris had no idea why the other was there, or what had led him to show up on that night, in that place. He scented the air as he walked out of the room, guessing that Christian would not be in his bed – Chris remembered that after something major, Christian tended to roam worriedly rather than get some rest, no matter how much he needed it. It was only when his patient was on the mend that he would allow himself the luxury of relaxing. Sure enough, he could tell that Christian had gone downstairs after the others had gone up, his scent overlaying the others and proceeded to track the man to the kitchen.

Christian was leaning against the kitchen counter, cup in hand, apparently staring at the wall, although he turned and gave a slightly weary smile when Chris walked in. “Hey. Wondered if you might make an appearance.” For a moment he looked like he might be about to give Chris a lecture about how he too should be resting up, but apparently thought better of it, glancing at the ceiling in a meaningful gesture instead. “So, that’s your mate then?”

“Evan,” confirmed Chris in a quiet voice. “You’ll like him, he’s a really good guy. Just not at his best tonight.”

“I can guess why.” Christian reached for the kettle, made Chris a cup of coffee that they both suspected wasn’t about to keep the other awake once he actually went to bed for real. “I wasn’t at the scene at the time, but I thought I heard him ask you to spare Wade. That took some real guts, real morals.” He handed Chris the cup. “Especially considering who and what I could smell on him. Do you think you can heal him?”

The question took Chris by surprise and he didn’t have a ready answer, instead shaking his head slowly. “I don’t know. I’m gonna try.” He had almost forgotten just how easy Christian had always been to talk to, but of course that had been back in the days when Chris had not been pack leader and had far fewer responsibilities to think of. “You weren’t really at the scene? What made you know there was gonna be a scene, or took you there in the first place?”

Christian chuckled slightly. “I always knew you’d make a good leader. Not scared of getting straight to the point, are you?”

“Nope,” replied Chris, blowing on the hot coffee. “And you’re evading my question. Not that it’s the only one I have, but a lot of them are gonna have to wait until the morning. I don’t wanna be away from Evan for too long, in case he wakes up.”

“I get it.” Christian tilted his head, thinking. “I bet you tried to track me after I left, am I right?” When Chris nodded, Christian smirked. “Yeah, well. I knew I couldn’t stay and watch the remnants of the pack tear itself apart. And I knew damn well that I couldn’t watch you and Edge fight it out and not get involved somehow... I didn’t know how even myself. I knew Edge was the wrong person to lead, but he was my best friend. Even if he was getting a little – psycho by then.” He shrugged helplessly. “I know our condition affects some people like that, sends them a little crazy, but I still think that if Barrett had lived then he might have gotten Edge to get some kind of control over it. That’s not a dig, you didn’t get the chance to. But even if I did know he wasn’t a good thing for the pack, I don’t think even now that I could watch him get killed over it. Or even just lose over it. That’s why I took off. I didn’t want to know what happened, I just went home, packed my shit and got the hell out. Headed out of the territory, stopped long enough to change my last name and then started moving again. I know all that wolf instinct about needing that kind of thing and it’s true. Once you’re dislocated from the pack, it’s hard to sit still. You’re always looking for something.” 

He looked into the distance a moment, then blinked himself back to the present, meeting Chris’ eyes. “I know I’ve gone a little off-topic, but it’s relevant really. I did end up staying in one place after a while, even if I got itchy feet – I could kinda combat it in another way.” He chuckled. “I bet you can’t guess in a million years what I do for a living.”

Chris shrugged. “I don’t know. Pilot? TV holiday presenter?” 

Laughing, Christian shook his head. “You’re thinking too globally. I’m a bounty hunter.”

Chris stared a moment and then broke out laughing. There was a slightly hysterical tone to it, given everything that had happened that night it would have been strange if the laughter had been normal, but Christian figured it was better than an outburst of rage and would at least give vent to some feelings. When it seemed that Chris was getting a hold of his sniggers, Christian started singing, “I am the dog, the big bad dog...” The slightly off-key tune only made Chris laugh harder, putting his cup down before he spilled it and trying to keep quiet for proprieties sake – they weren’t too far from the room where Randy kept his vigil over John. That thought was enough to all but kill off the amusement, although it still took him a little while to recover completely. And oddly, although his stomach hurt and the hilarity seemed to have reminded the wounds he’d all but forgotten about to ache, he felt a little better for the outburst. Quite possibly Christian’s plan all along. 

“Seriously?” Christian nodded and Chris chuckled again. “Oh man. I bet you’re pretty good at it though. Tracking guys is probably pretty easy when you can smell them out, no hiding from you. And you’ve got other ways of taking them down, probably stronger than all of them – I’ve never considered it, but I can see how it’d work.”

“Yeah,” agreed Christian. “It works and I get to go out and about, protecting my territory and going far enough afield to take the worst of the wanderlust away. It worked, y’know? But about two years ago...” He frowned, considering his words. “Back then, I ran into another wolf. It was pretty rare and it wasn’t someone I knew – some guy called Matt Hardy. You met him tonight for the first time.” Chris looked blank and Christian elaborated. “One of the two in the background. Long, dark hair.”

Chris nodded and Christian allowed himself to continue. “Obviously I was curious and he knew what I was, so I asked him a few questions. He told me that his pack weren’t after any trouble, ha. And then he told me that Wade had just taken over, from the titular head of the operation. Edge. Well, I’d been scared for years that Edge had been killed when you two fought, that’s how it was supposed to go and when I found out you’d just run him off...” He shook his head. “I respected you more and I was grateful too. And relieved to find out that he was alive of course. I’d been running from the whole thing awhile but when Matt suggested I went back with him and caught up with Edge, I jumped at the chance.”

He laughed, but there was no humour in it. “I wish I hadn’t and if I hadn’t I wouldn’t be here right now, that’s for sure. For the first time, I’m kinda glad I did. Edge had – changed. He’d been teetering on the brink of madness even back then, you could see it in his eyes that night, but I don’t know. I think the stress of leadership drove him even further out of his mind and he hadn’t handled it too well. And he was still furious with you.”

He tilted his head, aware that he had Chris’ full attention. “Punk was with them and that Edge had eroded enough to allow that psycho to join the pack should tell you just how far he’d gone. Wade was really just coming into his own, that much I got and the rest of the pack had decided that it was his destiny to lead, or some such bull. Justin followed him around like a puppy. It was obvious to me that there was more to it than just the alpha-beta stuff, but I don’t know about mates – they seemed like they should be that, but mates are faithful. They weren’t. And then there was Matt and his brother, Jeff.” There was a flicker in Christian’s eyes as he spoke, but it was there and gone before Chris could properly identify what it was. And although they could usually smell emotions, Christian had yet to shower and any smell he was giving off was masked by the scent of John’s blood. 

“Edge was so – I dunno, gleeful when he told me about them. Apparently Jeff was a bit of a wild kid and got involved with someone he shouldn’t have done, got changed that way.” Christian hesitated a moment. “I might have found out for sure if I’d stuck around long enough who changed him, but I didn’t. I suspect it was Punk.”

“Punk?” Chris shook his head. “I don’t know. Punk doesn’t usually let anyone he’s bitten live long enough to change. It’s not his style.”

“I know, but he’s unpredictable enough to do something like that just for kicks. Anyway, apparently Jeff shared his secret with his big brother, who’ll do just about anything for Jeff. There was some kind of incident, Edge never said what, and they went into hiding. I’m not sure if Jeff changed Matt before that or after, but they were living wild in some forest in North Carolina. Sounds like they were that way for a while. They joined up with the pack but they’re still kinda – absent, I guess. They never really lost that whole ‘living wild’ thing and you can really tell, even when they’re being completely normal – it’s something in their eyes. But Edge’s pack was the last one they needed to be hooked up with after all that.”

“Because they already struggle to blend in with humans?” Chris sighed, picking up his coffee and taking a sip. “Sounds like the kind of people Edge would like in his pack and Punk probably loved the idea of guys who spent more time getting in touch with the wolf. I’m surprised you didn’t get an offer to join.”

“Oh, I did.” Christian looked grim. “But I wasn’t interested. I told Edge it was all to do with history and how I had no interest in being involved in a pack at all from now on, but that wasn’t what it was. The whole deal just felt – off. Wrong. Weird. I didn’t like the vibe I got from them and I didn’t want to be part of it. Edge pushed it of course, tried to push my buttons. He always knew just how to do that. Pointed out that I hadn’t wanted to be aligned with you guys either, why not them? In the end, I told him I wasn’t prepared to give in to the initiation and that was it, as far as I was concerned.”

“Let me guess.” Chris wrinkled his nose, anger resurfacing. His emotions were see-sawing so much that night that it was starting to exhaust him just as much as the physicality he’d gone through. “They’re a progressive pack, or that’s what they like to call themselves. No mates. Share and share alike.”

“That’s right, although I didn’t find that out for a day or so.” There was still something in Christian’s face that Chris couldn’t quite read, although he suspected he’d find the truth out soon enough. “They mocked me, Edge was pissed as hell and gave the whole spiel about how he knew I never considered him a real friend – and that hurt, more than it should have done maybe. But I wasn’t going to play. And then Punk told me I needed to watch my back, that a lone wolf didn’t have the protection of a pack and that he should know. And I told him...” Christian sighed, looked at the floor. “I told him I had a silver bullet and that a bounty hunter doesn’t stay alive without being a fuck of a good shot.”

Chris exhaled. “Oh god.”

“Yeah.” Christian didn’t look up. “I didn’t realise John had been shot with one until I got a look at him and when I did, that comment came back to haunt me. I’m not sure that they could have come up with that on their own, but I make one thoughtless threat and – I wonder if it was me who planted the thought in their heads.”

“Christian.” Chris rested a hand on the man’s shoulder until Christian looked up to meet his eyes. “You couldn’t have known that a couple of years later, they’d use the idea. If they even remembered it. Our reaction to silver isn’t a secret. Maybe they’d tossed around the idea before.”

“I know you’re right, but...” Christian shrugged, leaned against the counter again. “I can’t help thinking that I had more to do with all of this than I knew. Misplaced guilt, I suppose.”

Chris, who understood plenty about misplaced guilt, nodded his head. 

Christian reached for the kettle, making himself another coffee, not speaking until he had the mug in his hands. “After that, I kept a watch on them. Not surveillance as such, just being wary – I didn’t doubt that if Punk set his mind to it, he’d come right after me. But he didn’t and I was kinda letting my guard down when I noticed something was happening with them. Like I said, I wasn’t really watching them for more than my own safety and I was expecting them to move on any moment, but they stayed in the area a while. Lived in some big house with no immediate neighbours, plenty of space to exercise nearby.” He smirked. “I did a little digging. The place belonged to some reclusive woman, made money off a couple of chick lit novels and retired rich as hell. She’d been living there, no one ever saw her anyway and all of a sudden she apparently decides to go travelling, lets the place out to those reprobates.”

Chris frowned. “Are you thinking she travelled about six feet, straight down in her own yard?”

Christian shrugged again. “No proof of that – but it is weird. And she still hasn’t shown up.” He paused a moment, then apparently dismissed the subject. “Anyway, I checked the place out one night – I had a pretty good spot a while away where I could see into the house with a set of binoculars. They hadn’t tried anything but they worried me. There was something happening there, I figured they were getting ready to move on. No sign of punk, but I could see Justin packing up some stuff and Matt was messing around with the SUV. I figured it was good riddance and took off, left them to it. That was a week ago. But I was – curious. It was eating at me and I eventually went back to the house. By then they were gone and it didn’t look like they were coming back. So I broke in. This is two days ago.”

He took a sip of the coffee, frowning unhappily. “Place was a mess. Not a disgrace, but it was obvious they weren’t too bothered about living standards. The place stank of them, what they’d been doing. I don’t know what I was hoping to find, if anything, or if I was just reassuring myself that I’d done the right thing by not joining them, because as long as they were nearby, that was still a choice. With them gone, it wasn’t. And I felt a little like I’d missed the chance, even if I knew it was a chance I hadn’t wanted. Anyway, I found a load of papers in one of the drawers. Might have been a scrapbook, if it had been that organised, really it was just a bunch of pictures and articles. Most of them were about you. There was a whole lot on your retirement and last ever tour. I know a lot of journalists thought it was a publicity stunt but they’d collected every snippet on it. A couple of bits on Randy, since he’s not exactly unknown either, though he’s not into doing self-publicity so much.”

He met Chris’ eyes. “If that had been it, then I might not have thought much of it. We all know that Edge hates you and knows the both of you. But there were a couple of other things too. The most alarming was a map of this territory, the whole of it with red spots marking it. The marks didn’t make much sense, they make more sense now actually. They corresponded to a school, a couple of houses and there were a few smaller marks in this area. I think, now, that the school’s where John works and the houses are where a couple of the pack at least live – probably Cody, if they knew for sure where he was. “

He noted Chris’ grim look and managed a smile of sorts. “It made my hackles rise. I could guess where they were headed and I knew it was bad news either way. I couldn’t just leave it as your problem or theirs and leave it alone. So I came down here and started asking some questions – I used the badge to get answers. I found where they’d been staying and questioned the guy at the hotel behind the desk. I was worried by then, because I knew they’d left but I could smell someone else with them. Evan, as it turns out. The guy wasn’t a fan, he described punk and Jeff right away and another guy that sounded like Wade. Said they’d taken off about twenty minutes before and that the guy with them hadn’t looked pleased to be there. I’d only just missed them and by this time, I had the instinct on me – I knew that something very bad was going down. But I didn’t know how I was going to trace them.”

“So, how did you?” asked Chris.

“Thought, and luck. I figured that the reason for them being here would be because of you and odds were, it was a territory thing. Which meant a fight, but probably not where ever you were all living now. You’d want to be away from home, but not too far so you could drive there. So I had the map they’d left and checked it out. There were several places that were suitable and I didn’t have any other ideas, so I decided to check them out. Got lucky in the fourth place, sort of. There’s a place about half a mile from here and I thought I heard something, it’s a quiet night. When I got close enough, I could smell wolves and blood. I didn’t know if I was going to be too late, or even if I’d end up intervening or what – but I think it’s past time I stopped hiding. I didn’t want to know but that didn’t work. Not knowing ended up being worse than knowing the worst.”

Chris nodded, taking this all in. “I’m glad you did come back. Would’ve been glad to see you, even if none of this shit had gone down.” He fixed Christian with a look. “This whole pack owes you a debt, for what you’ve done for John. If you’re just passing through then you’ve got a safe place to stay right here. And if you decide that the lone wolf thing got old, you’ve still got a place with us. Whatever you decide.”

Christian nodded. “I appreciate that.” He held the serious expression for a moment, then dissolved into a mock-stern look. “You might be the leader these days Jericho, but you don’t have to oversee everything. I don’t know if you’ve seen yourself in the mirror but you’re beat to shit and you look like you’re about to drop. Get upstairs. Doctors orders.”

Chris smiled back, but it was a little uncertain. More than anything he wanted to get back to Evan, but he had other worries too. “I should stay up in case John...”

“You can’t do him any good wearing yourself out, we’ve done all we can and Randy’s right with him.” Christian’s voice had understanding in it but he clearly wasn’t accepting an argument, even if Chris was the alpha. “You’re better off resting up and taking care of Evan. I’ll come wake you the moment anything happens with John.”

“You’re not going to get any sleep yourself?” Chris asked. “Something wrong with the room?”

“Nothing at all,” replied Christian. “I’m gonna make good use of it later. But for now, I’m gonna just nap in the living room. I’d like to be in shouting distance of where Randy is.”

Chris nodded. “Just in case.” Unexpectedly, he moved forward and pulled Christian into a hug; the other hadn’t been expected it but responded in kind. “I missed you, y’know,” said Chris, allowing the hug for a moment and then stepping back, slightly embarrassed but not sorry he’d done so. 

Christian looked cheered, although a little embarrassed himself. “Yeah, well, I missed you too.” He missed off the joke about his aim getting better that he wanted to add on, instead turning back to the kettle – his third coffee in half an hour, he’d be lucky to be sleeping at all tonight but that of course was the intent. “Goodnight Chris.”

“Night.” Chris headed back up the stairs, determined that he should catch up with Christian properly and soon – but as always, his mate was his overriding concern. Letting himself silently back into their bedroom, he noted that Evan was still sleeping but the man had all but cocooned himself within the blankets, the frown on his face deeper and more pronounced. He was sleep-mumbling, but Chris could make out no actual words. With a slight frown of his own, Chris lay on the bed beside his mate and managed to unwrap Evan a little without wakening him, covering himself and pressing his body closer to Evan’s, kissing his forehead and stroking a thumb gently over Evan’s cheek. After a few moments, Evan’s mumbling stopped and he seemed to relax more, although he still didn’t look at peace. That out-of-place look tore at Chris’ heart; Evan was supposed to be carefree, safe. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. 

“I promise you Evvie,” he murmured, quietly so that he didn’t wake his lover. “I will do anything to get you through this. Anything and everything I can.”

~:~

Cody felt like he hadn’t been asleep at all, but when he opened his eyes he realised he had to have dropped off for a while at least; time had certainly passed, the shadows changing although it was still dark. It was an odd sensation, as if time had vanished in the blink of an eye rather than him getting any kind of rest. His face was against Ted’s chest and he could hear his lovers steady heartbeat, his breathing. There was no way Ted was asleep, as still as the other was it was apparent by those small signs. He leaned up and sure enough, Ted’s eyes were wide open and staring at the ceiling, although a moment after Cody moved, Ted shifted his gaze to look at Cody instead. 

“What’s wrong Ted?” asked Cody, although he knew it was a pretty stupid question. That whole day and night, everything had been wrong. So many things had happened that Ted would have an easier job telling him what wasn’t wrong. 

Ted didn’t even try to pretend he’d been sleeping, rolling on his side so that he could be face to face with Cody. “It’s – a lot of things,” he said softly. “A silver bullet. I always thought John was indestructible, he’s always seemed that way. Seeing him like that, it scared the shit outta me.” He paused a moment, an arm going over Cody’s waist. “And Evan. He’s so – he’s not fragile but there’s something about him. He’s so eager to please, he just wants his friends to be happy and he lives for Chris. I can’t believe that anyone would want to harm him, not like that. It makes me madder than hell.”

Cody didn’t say anything for a moment. He didn’t disbelieve Ted at all, he knew those things were on his mind too, but there was something that Ted wasn’t saying to him. Something about the way he spoke of the other things made him wonder why Ted wasn’t more forthcoming, if indeed those were the main things on his mind. “What else is it Ted?”

Ted smiled a moment, but it wasn’t a very convincing one. “You always knew me too well Cody,” he said, eyes leaving the other man’s. “Okay. I was thinking about something Drew said.”

Cody’s heart leapt into his throat and his eyes widened slightly. Oh god, had Drew said something to make Ted think less of him, to have one of his jealous moments? Had Ted rethought their relationship over one of Drew’s comments? Please, he thought to himself, don’t let that be true. “What...” He heard the break in his voice and tried again. “What about what Drew said?”

Ted regarded him for a moment, then gave a sad little smile. “I knew you wouldn’t pick up on it. Why would you? You were thinking more about Evan.”

“Ted.” Cody leaned on one elbow, reached out to rest his hand on the back of Ted’s neck. “What are you talking about?”

Ted exhaled. “He said Punk had persuaded him that the two of you should go for a meeting with the pack. That he was going to take you, as soon as he got back from his trip. Only as soon as you got back, you’d already been brought here and had other plans.” He noticed Cody’s incomprehension and almost laughed, not that the situation was funny. “Cody. If the pack hadn’t found out about you when they did, then right now you’d be there, with them. I don’t know what would have happened to Drew, but as far as you go...” His voice quietened. “It could have been you Cody. In Evan’s place.”

Understanding dawned in Cody’s eyes and his breath caught. No, he hadn’t thought through exactly what Drew had said in regards to that part but he knew as soon as Ted said it that the other had a damn good point. If John and Randy hadn’t found him, then he would have happily gone away with Drew on their impromptu holiday. And he would have found himself with the other pack, to be used in much the same way as Evan had been. Not as personal for Chris, more than harmful for his Ted. Not to mention the things that they would have done to him... and thinking Ted lost to him forever and with no other knowledge of any other wolves, might he have been tempted to do anything to be accepted by others like him, to accept what they told him about their condition and what they needed without question?

Ted moved his hand to cup Cody’s face, looking him directly in the eye. “And that would have been my fault. Because I left you, because I was scared. I could have been responsible for that. And all because I ran...” He kept Cody’s gaze, although the other man could read the shame in them, along with a new determination. “I know it didn’t happen Cody, but it would have done and that would have been all on me. I don’t know what I did to deserve someone like you and I know I have a second chance that I’ve done nothing at all to deserve – but I promise you this Cody. I won’t be running again. I’m gonna stand my ground and make damned sure that I never, ever do anything that could put you in danger. I’m gonna be here to protect you, always. For the rest of my life. I promise.”

“Teddy...” Cody rested his own hand against Ted’s. “I know. I know you’ll be there for me. I trust you. You don’t need to torture yourself over this, please. It didn’t happen and as for second chances – I do understand, really. And nothing could change the way I feel about you. I always loved you.”

Leaning in to kiss Cody softly, Ted moved back only a fraction of an inch when they separated. “I love you too,” he breathed. “I always did. And I swear to you Cody, I’m never leaving you again. Not ever.”


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Just Us Two For A While

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris does his best to try and bring Evan from the downward spiral he's threatening to fall into and Christian decides to hang around for a while- both to keep an eye on John and the rest of the pack. Meanwhile, Punk isn't through with his vengeance and makes a spontaneous action with far-reaching consequences. Justin remains by Wade's side as he too recovers from the fight.

The sun was coming up when Drew finally got back to the flat that until recently he had shared with Cody. His mood was understandably foul. His cheek was bruised where Chris had struck him and there were marks on his throat where both John and Chris had grabbed him. He was still wearing the clothes that he had been kidnapped in and although all he could smell was a slight staleness, he imagined that the wolves would be able to smell the lingering fear he had sweated through to them. Not that he was likely to see any again. Punk had promised him a place should he keep his end of the bargain and he had, it wasn’t as if he could help that Ted (a scowl marred his face as he considered the man) had suddenly turned up back on the scene. But he had heard just what Wade, the pack leader, had truly thought of him and he was pretty certain that the man had never had any intention of turning him. Which meant no Cody. Especially since it seemed Cody had thrown his support behind another pack. If Wade were successful, then maybe there was some slight chance – but he didn’t think there was. He would never see Punk again, Wade would have forgotten all about his help and he would be stuck living the human life, regardless of what Cody ended up doing. 

He hadn’t had enough money to get all the way home at such a late hour; his hustles on the bus had still left him 40 miles short of his destination in the middle of the night and he had lost track of his wallet. Probably he’d left it home in his rush to meet up with Cody. What a damned fool he’d been to think the man would have been reconsidering. He had hitch-hiked the rest, travelling twenty miles with an aging man who wanted to talk about little more than his dead son and religious conversion. It had made Drew uncomfortable, because who wanted to talk about stuff like that with a total stranger? Still, it beat walking and so he’d suffered through it. The last person to pick him up and drop him almost directly at his door had been a shy yet somehow flirtatious young man who bore a resemblance to Cody, he had given Drew his number once the ride was over with his cheeks flushed, apparently not used to being so bold. Drew had taken it and was considering taking a shower, sleeping until evening and then calling him to see if he could recover his sense of self and take some measure of vengeance on Cody by fucking the new guy right into the bed the two of them had shared. 

Lost in his thoughts, he let himself into the flat. He’d turned out the living room light but the kitchen light was on, illuminating the room a little. Drew didn’t bother to turn on the light, merely threw his keys at the table (and frowning when he saw them sail over the end and onto the floor) and went into the kitchen. It was bright in there thanks to the fluorescents and Drew went to the fridge, debating a beer and then deciding upon a cola. Pulling it out, he slammed the fridge while he surveyed the room and tried to think things over. He’d love to show that Ted who Cody really belonged to. He really would.

Belatedly, he wondered how he had managed to leave the kitchen light on when he had left when it was still daylight then. Ah well, he had probably just been distracted. Hell, he’d left a bottle of juice on the counter.

Drew went to get himself a glass, then paused and looked back at the juice. He didn’t even remember pouring that. He thought he’d been in the living room when he’d got that call from Cody. In fact, he was almost positive. So why was the light on and the drink out? Unless he was under attack by the worlds neatest robber...

From the darkened living room, he heard a low growl. 

Drew froze, suddenly remembering that he hadn’t turned on the light walking to the kitchen, hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary in there – but he hadn’t been looking and it would have been dark. There were plenty of places for a determined wolf to hide, 

Turning slowly, Drew saw the wolf stood in the door to the kitchen, it’s muscle hiding the hallway behind it. He could recognise Punk, who no longer even pretended to look friendly. Either this was his transformation or they thought he already knew too much about the situation.

With a low snarl that suddenly rose in pitch, Punk attacked.

~~~~~~

Randy watched as John began to push himself into a more upright seated position. Concernedly he immediately stood up to help the other get up. Wrapping his arms around John’s torso since John’s waist was currently not the best spot to be exerting pressure upon. The older man ground his teeth somewhat at the pain that flared in his abdomen and he waved off the apologetic look he was sent by the younger man; the pain was pretty unavoidable and it wasn’t as though Randy was trying to cause him discomfort. “Bed seems like a more and more appealing prospect to me.” The small huff of laughter that his mate gave was weak but genuine and John managed a small laugh of his own.

They ran into Christian when they went into the living room, and although the man didn’t look too impressed about the fact that John was up and about even though he was so injured, but when John expressed the wish that he wanted to be back in his own bed Christian couldn’t very well refuse him. Using the other man’s help they managed to get John up the stairs—but he refused to lie down on the clean sheets of his and Randy’s bed until he had cleaned himself up. The bloody scrap of material that had once compromised John’s shirt was removed and whilst Christian helped John keep upright Randy tenderly cleaned the dried blood from his mate’s flesh. The wound looked better, though it was understandably still raw looking. Thanking Christian for all he had done for him, Randy then walked the other man out.

~:~

Chris hadn’t taken long to fall asleep despite everything when he had been sent back to bed and he slept throughout the rest of the night. Whilst Chris was sleeping though, someone else was waking up: Evan. The ravenette opened his eyes, and winced; his eyes and head were aching as though he had been out on the lash all night long… though that couldn’t have been further from the truth, obviously. Bringing a hand up he gingerly rubbed the sleep from his eyes and then turned his head to look at Chris; it seemed that they had rearranged themselves somewhat during the night, because Chris’ arm had fallen down to rest atop his lap given that he had sat up. Immediately Evan’s eyes scoured the exposed body-parts of his sleeping mate, exposed by the covers falling away from him.

Though the wounds were far from gone they had healed considerably and Evan bet that within a day or two Chris wouldn’t have so much as a bruise left over… which was borderline a miracle since he had all but had a chunk torn from his shoulder and all in retrospect. Swallowing at the concern and nausea that welled in him at the remembrance Evan then looked down at himself—and saw that his body was completely blemish-free once more. Whilst this realisation did cheer him up to some degree he couldn’t help still feeling as though he may as well have still been covered in Justin’s… essence. At the thought of Justin, Evan sighed and brought his knees to his chest, arms going around them as he frowned to himself. Even after everything that he had suffered at the hands of the rival pack he found himself finding it difficult to completely hate Justin and Wade; the emotions that the South African man had shown when Wade had been injured had just been so genuine, so heartbreaking, that Evan couldn’t have doubted their sincerity despite all of that tripe that had been spouting about how mates didn’t exist and everything like that. Those two were good kids, they had just been misled and… and wasn’t it this type of thinking that had gotten him into bother in the first place? Feeling slightly ill once more –and slightly stunned to find that it was only ten in the morning given the night they had had- Evan gently shuffled away from Chris and got off of their bed, heading into the bathroom; closing the door behind him so the noise didn’t disturb his lover.

Standing before the bathroom mirror, Evan noticed that the razor Chris had thrown out of the shower after forbidding him to hurt himself was still on the floor, and he found himself bending down to pick it up—finding that he could do so. This made his brow furrow, confusion covering his face momentarily… however the confusion was short-lived when he attempted to remove the covering from the blade and press the blade into his skin; it was almost as though the casing covering the blade was filled with glue or something because the damn thing wasn’t coming off. In fact, it wasn’t coming off so strongly that he ended up breaking the razor cleanly in half in his attempts to get it off. Numbly the ravenette tossed the razor into the bin and then returned his attention back to what he had originally been intending to do: brushing his teeth (several times once again) and then getting another shower… he looked to himself in the mirror again as he did his teeth, seeing a drawn and pale face looking back at him, dull eyes reflecting the guilt and self-loathing that was welling within him once more when became more and more alert. Something told him that he should just go back to bed when he was done and not show his face to the other, because he didn’t know how much he could apologise to even begin to make it up to everyone for all the trouble that he had caused. He had to make it up to them. He had to.

Turning the shower on once he had rinsed the toothpaste from his mouth for the second time, Evan then got underneath the spray and sat down on the floor. The water rushed over him and flattened his hair to his head, covering his skin in goosebumps at the change in temperature, but he was contented enough to remain there. He had the soap and his shampoo resting on the bath-side level with his head, but he didn’t reach for either at the moment. He had never thought that he would one day be reduced to all but burning himself in the shower in an attempt to wash away his sins, but there he was… and there was no denying that what he had done was virtually the cardinal sin given that Chris was his mate now; forced or not he had committed a transgression to his lover, his alpha, the person who cared about him more than anything and everything in the world. Evan had always known that Chris regarded him so highly, but he had only seen it in practice the night before when Chris had been willing to kill for his honour and revenge, but then also when Chris had actually obeyed to Evan’s wishes as opposed to carrying out his original intent. If an alpha obeying the beta’s request before not only their own pack but another’s didn’t speak of love and high regard then Evan didn’t know what did. Figuring that he shouldn’t keep himself there forever given that others would need the hot water too, Evan reached for his shampoo and began lathering up his hair.

Upon rinsing the shampoo from his hair he then thoroughly scrubbed his body with the nearby loofa and then rinsed the suds from his body in turn. Upon finishing his ablutions he turned the water off and then exited the shower; grabbing a towel from the airing cupboard and then drying himself with it briskly before then wrapping it around his waist as he left the room. He had been intending to quietly enter the bedroom and change, since Chris had been asleep, but when he stepped into the bedroom he immediately that Chris was wide awake. Scratch that: he was awake at least. There was weariness in his mate’s face that Evan knew only about a week’s-worth of solid lie-ins would fix and there was a slight panic visible in his expression before he then immediately schooled his features into a neutral expression at the sight of Evan. The smile that he was sent afterwards was genuine but tentative; something that Evan knew he couldn’t fault given how emotionally unstable he had been last night, what with his outburst in the shower and all.

“Morning, Puppy.” Momentarily Evan had been afraid that hearing his special nickname from Chris would make him feel like Wade had when he had been mocking him with it—but it didn’t. If anything it made his throat close up with emotion and he found himself nodding before swallowing thickly and licking his dry lips to wet them. “Hey.” His voice came out somewhat hoarse –probably from all the crying he had been doing last night- “Are you sure you don’t want to go back to sleep?” despite how fucked up he was feeling right then Evan wasn’t about to let Chris sacrifice his own recovery for the sake of him or anyone else within the pack. Chris had almost made the ultimate sacrifice the night before and he honestly wasn’t completely over that yet.

“Alright?” Evan knew immediately that Chris was referring to the fact that he had obviously been in the shower again as opposed to in general; he doubted that any of them were actually alright in the general sense of the word. The ravenette nodded, bowing his head once more as he did so. He couldn’t bring himself to meet Chris’ eyes, shamed beyond belief by his naiveté even more-so now he was allowing himself to retrospect in the light of day without all of the emotions from the previous night clouding him and offering him excuses as they had been previously. Nodding mutely Evan made his way over to his chest of drawers and then began rooting around in them for some fresh boxers. When the other had moved to the wardrobe (selecting a long-sleeved shirt and a jumper, ensuring that his clothing would cover nigh-on his entire body) Chris got off of the bed and moved to his mate. Wrapping his arms around the naked body before him, Chris then murmured quietly into Evan’s ear, “Put the clothes down for a second, baby.” It was a command, though not at the same time.

Finding his hands moving of their own accord Evan did so, and Chris gently but firmly pulled his mate over to their full-length mirror and made him stand before it. Almost immediately Evan was trying to pull his naked body out of view of the reflecting surface, not wanting Chris to look at him closely like that yet. It seemed almost indecent for Chris to be looking at him after what had happened—the fact that the other even still wanted to look at him was something that Evan was struggling to wrap his mind around as well.

“Puppy,” Chris’ voice was low but firm, coaxing. “Look at the mirror and put your arms at your sides.” The younger man recognised the borderline alpha-command and felt like crying again when he noted that even after he had disobeyed Chris’ request last time when it hadn’t been a properly given one the other was still not very keen on using his rank on him—unless it was necessary as proved yesterday. Arms going down Evan’s body was then exposed before the mirror with Chris’ own behind it; Evan felt soothed by the sight of them both together but couldn’t shake the feeling that he didn’t deserve such a thing at the same time. “You’re still beautiful to me.” He said, eyes locking upon Evan’s in the mirror and not looking away from him, “Nothing could ever make me think you’re not beautiful.”

Eyes welling with tears once more Evan bit his lip, “Chris—“the other man overrode him gently as he spoke, his hands moving to Evan’s shoulders and then slowly moving down his arms, caressing them as he went and then beginning to gently caress the exposed torso and abdomen displayed in the mirror before him. The motions were not sexual, but familiar, intimate and soothing and Evan found himself leaning back against his mate’s stronger form, eyes closing as he let Chris’ gentle reassurances wash over him like a warm bath. This was a familiar scene from many years ago, wherein Evan would be paranoid and disgusted with his body over the smallest things and Chris had determinedly set him straight on that score. “I love you.” Chris watched as a few tears trickled out from underneath Evan’s closed eyelids at the words, and even though he hated seeing Evan cry whether they were happy tears or sad, he carried on relentlessly.

“I love you. I love you more than anything. Nothing will ever make me stop loving you.” Evan was crying silently by this point and Chris recognised it as a sign that his words were reaching Evan through the previously impenetrable hysteria that the other had been displaying the night before. For a moment he expected that Evan was going to pull away from again as he was prone to do in such a situation, but to his surprise –and admitted internal delight- Evan turned in his arms and buried his tear-stained face into his mate’s neck. The older man wrapped his strong arms around his small mate and drew him as close as possible. Deep down he knew that Evan wasn’t the only one who was going to have changed from this encounter; they were all going to have changed somehow and he hoped it wouldn’t all be in a negative way.

Chris held Evan as he cried, knowing that they were a long way from the younger man being completely fine, but it was still better than nothing. Eventually the sobbing quietened and then stopped completely, Evan’s trembling also stopping a few moments after the crying. Gently easing his mate back enough to wipe the tears from his mate’s face Chris then smiled softly, “Go and wash your face, baby, and we can go and see how John is, Ok?” Since no one had come to get them for any reason he assumed that nothing had happened to John during the night; a miracle given what Christian had told him the night before about the bullet and also when you consider that Christian had had to do surgery on a kitchen table with little more than kitchen equipment.

Nodding, Evan turned and went into the bathroom, knowing the suggestion from Chris hadn’t been because he looked bad but because his face was no doubt red and puffy from crying and he certainly didn’t want any of the others seeing him like that. Whilst Evan was in the bathroom Chris selected some clothing for the day; a light t-shirt and jogging pants because his wounds were still tender and tight clothing wasn’t going to help him. He was just finishing changing when Evan exited the bathroom once more, dressed—it appeared that he had taken his clothing into the bathroom with him. Brushing his hair through lightly with his comb and watching as Evan did the same Chris then offered his hand to his mate and indicated that they should go downstairs.

As they hit the main foyer from the main stairs they saw that Ted and Cody were both in the kitchen, Ted seemingly disposing of the sheet that had been used to cover the table last night as Cody scrubbed at the wood with multiple disinfectants; there was a lingering scent of blood in the air but it was dulling with each second thanks to the fact that the windows were open and someone had obviously sprayed an air-freshener on top of the cleaning products. “Morning.” Chris greeted, the two younger men turning their heads towards him in tandem. “Morning.” They returned as one, amusing Chris slightly even though he had gotten a pretty good idea of just how in sync mates became after such a small space of time. “I’m going to burn this.” Ted said, indicating the sheet and Chris nodded. Then, he added, “Would you mind getting rid of the things in our bedroom bin too?” having a feeling he knew what the other was talking about he nodded his head, “No problem,” and headed outside.

Wiping down the table with a fresh cloth to dry it, Cody coughed slightly and looked apologetic, “I know that all this stuff isn’t good for our noses and stuff but we didn’t want to leave it and we knew Randy’d be torn between staying with John and coming down to sort everything out…” he looked sheepish, “And we felt that Christian had done enough last night and didn’t want him to feel obligated to sort everything out for us.” Chris smiled slightly and nodded his head, “Thank you.” Cody’s eyes went to Evan and he was saddened to find that the other wasn’t looking at him, but then said, “I was going to go out and buy us all some breakfast—is there anywhere special that you’d prefer it from?” Immediately Chris named a restaurant that they could get takeaway from that Evan liked best in the village.

Cody noticed the slight movement that Evan made at the name and deduced that it was somewhere that he liked and the ravenette smiled before nodding his head slightly. “I’ll wait until Ted’s done and then go—“he paused when he noticed their guest heading down the stairs, pausing when he saw them all standing there. “Hello all.” Chris gave his friend a slight grin and then asked, “Did you get some sleep?” Christian nodded, not admitting that it wasn’t much; with any luck however he would crash with no problems that night. Speaking of which, he supposed he’d better be thinking of heading out before too long. He was glad to have seen Chris, and seen that he was happy –present circumstances aside- but he knew that staying for long would not be good for any of them. Lord only knew what Edge might do if he thought Christian had gone back on the words he had rejected the other with.

As though sensing what the other was thinking, Chris casually intoned, “We don’t have that much going on here by way of a social scene, but it’s a pretty peaceful area and a little R&R never hurt anyone, did it?” Christian quirked a brow at his friend and then smirked softly, giving a nod of greeting to Ted when the other man came back in. “All taken care of.” He said, having safely and swiftly burned the items he had been instructed to do so, sweeping the ashes away to the woods. “We can get going now.” Cody nodded, then looked to the others and asked, “What shall we get?” Chris moved back into the living-room and pulled out his credit-card, handing it to Cody, “Tell George we want the special—he’ll know what that means.” The man had been catering to the pack for a long, long time, and he had long since stopped questioning why the toned, buff men that occasionally appeared in Chris’ home ordered so much food. Ted nodded, knowing the form, taking his mate’s hand and leading Cody through the door; it seemed that he and Evan weren’t the only ones who needed some extended closeness. “Have you been up to see John yet?” Chris asked and Christian shook his head, “I checked him over again when I helped Randy get him upstairs a few hours ago though.” Evan gently squeezed Chris’ hand, Chris understanding the unspoken question he wanted to ask.

“I’ll just go up and see them—make yourself comfortable Christian.” The other man seemed to consider this and then said, “I should just come up and see how the wound is healing.” Chris shrugged and nodded, turning and leading the way up to John and Randy’s room. Respectfully Chris knocked on the door and then opened the door, seeing that John was laid on the bed, shirtless, blood-free and wearing some sweatpants that hung low on his hips. Comfortable clothing seemed to be all around today for most of them. Randy had obviously showered recently, dressed in some jeans and a t-shirt, lying besides his mate in a fashion that was obviously for his own reassurance as well as John’s. John looked frighteningly peaky, but he was smiling at them as they entered the room. “Excuse me for not getting up.”

Giving a jokingly haughty look as though such a thing pissed him off, Chris then let his expression become a little more serious before moving forward. Randy tensed slightly, a reflexive gesture when one’s mate was hurt, but he allowed Chris to draw level with their bed and look at the wound on John’s abdomen. Evan, of course, was with Chris, the older man having refused to let go of his hand when he had felt the younger beginning to quail at the prospect of facing John and a probably pissed off Randy. John saw the way Evan was biting his lip so hard he was drawing blood, his distress so thick he swore he could smell it, John then extended a hand to Evan, “C’mere shorty.” Had it been anyone else who had called Evan that they probably would have been met with a swift right hook to the jaw, but instead Evan tentatively looked to Chris before moving to John. “I’m alright, Ev,” John said quietly, sensing Randy sitting up besides him and moving to talk to Chris and Christian across the room in low tones, “Really I am. It just feels right now, like…” his brow furrowed, “-like when you’ve burned yourself on the iron.” It was as close as he could get.

Evan looked at the wound, seeing the apparently burned flesh but noting that John’s muscle had healed over at least; the gash was poignantly visible, but at least closed over and showing signs of some improvement. “I’m so sorry.” Evan whispered, “If I hadn’t have fucked up then none of you would have been out there like that…” he took a breath, meeting John’s eyes and repeating, “I’m sorry.” Shaking his head, John gave Evan a firm but compassionate look, “You have nothing to apologise for—you weren’t the one who made me run across the field and take down that bastard. You weren’t the one who shot me. Ergo, you have nothing to apologise for.” Evan was about to say something more when Christian came up besides him and said, “Am I alright to check your wound over and give it another clean, John?”

Giving Christian a small look John asked, “No chloroform this time, right?” tilting his head in return Christian mused, “Ok, no chloroform, but I can’t promise it’s not going to hurt.” John nodded, sending his mate a reassuring look when Randy tensed, “I can handle it.” He hated having all that time last night where he couldn’t remember anything even though he knew it was for his own good. The process was watched by Randy, Chris and Evan, John making some joke about them all having a few sick kinks. As Christian was disposing of the gauze and disinfectants a voice called from downstairs, “Come and get it, guys!” and John immediately perked even though he wasn’t able to move too fast. “Food?” he asked hopefully and Randy cracked a more realistic smile than Chris had seen from him all morning, “Yes, lard-ass, food.” John pouted at the comment but then insisted he was going downstairs to eat after shooting back a retort to how his posterior was anything but lardy. “Perfectly toned I’ll have you know—that ‘Buns Of Steel’ video really worked.”

~:~

It had been the worst night of his life: and given the turbulent childhood he had had this was not something that he was stating lightly. Justin shook himself slightly as sleep tried to creep up on him much like the sun did over the nearby horizon. He was sitting inside of another hotel room, with Wade lain out on the bed before him. The other man was asleep thanks to numerous pain-meds that Justin had managed to skilfully procure for his lover and surrogate brother by bribing the small-town medic that they had managed to get to come in to tend to Wade. The man had been clearly stunned by what was left of Wade’s injuries (especially the missing part of his ear) but one look at Justin and the two Hardy brothers had told him just to take the money he was being offered to do his job before then getting out of there as quickly and casually as he could.

The fact that Wade had lost had been a complete shock to Justin, though the fact that Chris had released him because his mate had requested it –even after everything they had done to him- was even more of a shock. The man could, and would, he had no doubt, have killed Wade if he had had a few more seconds. Feeling a cold tremor run through him at the prospect of seeing Wade’s throatless, lifeless body lain out on the grass surrounded by a pool of his own blood, Justin found himself once again thanking the kind-hearted beta that was Evan. There was never going to be anything that Justin could do to repay them for the act of kindness that they had shown; just like there was never going to be anything Edge could say to defend himself concerning what had gone down, and how Chris had been much more in a fight than they at least had been expecting… and Chris had spoken of his father; he had spoken of respecting the man, never wanting or attempting to do anything that would have caused them problems or him any ill will.

Sure, obviously the deceased Barrett was not his real father (even as a child he’d been able to figure that one out pretty-damn-quick when he had first been able to understand the difference between colour and race) but he had been it as far as Justin was concerned. The only reason he had never changed his last name to the deceased alpha’s was because he had wanted to keep some sort of projection towards the people who had bourn him, and who he was beginning to lose memories of more and more with each passing way. Delicately, distressed and angry though he was at the same time thankful and assured that Wade was going to be Ok, Justin dipped the blood-stained flannel into the bowl of water at his side and then gently began dabbing at Wade’s face, chest and neck when the water had soaked into the cloth and he’d squeezed it out to make the excess water and suchlike run out. “Oh, Wade…” he murmured softly, expression devastated even though he had calmed significantly now that the night had passed and a new day had dawned.

“What have I told you about crying, Angel?” Justin didn’t even realise that he had had tears in his eyes again upon taking in Wade’s battered form until the other spoke; his deep voice coming out faint and almost like he had a sore throat; something that wouldn’t have surprised Justin in the slightest. Wade reached up weakly to brush the tear from Justin’s cheek and quirked a smile that was nothing more than a shadow of the usual smirk that he donned for his everyday life. “I know I probably look like shite, but it can’t be that bad, can it?” the joke was weak, lacking in any sort of punch or whatever, but it was enough to make Justin smile before then getting up and going across the room to the mini-bar to get Wade a cold bottle of water.

Handing Wade the pain medication that he had been instructed by the doctor to give the man when he awoke, Justin then set about cleaning up somewhat. He and Wade had a room of their own now, obviously, because they couldn’t very well be around Edge and Punk after what had happened, and now that their leader had technically been defeated Matt and Jeff had both expressed the notion that they were returning to their hometown and disbanding the pack altogether. This had saddened Justin more than he had been expecting, but on another level he was also glad of it: right then all he wanted to focus upon was Wade. Wade meanwhile was watching as Justin moved about the room to do anything and everything he felt he needed to in the process of tending to him; things hadn’t gone anywhere near as according to plan as he would have liked, but at least the one constant, important factor in his life that he privately knew he’d be helpless without was still there. At least he still had Justin. Even if everyone else abandoned him he knew that he would manage to get by so long as Justin was there with him. Sipping tentatively from the water-bottle he had been handed by the South-African, Wade then rasped out, “What happened Angel? When you all got me into the car and brought me back, what happened?”

~:~

A scream tore from his throat before he had even really considering that he was going to make such a noise. The sound emitting from Punk was so loud that Drew was sure it would draw attention from other people in the flats surrounding his own; something told him though that even if everyone in the building came to his assistance they would be no match for Punk. The wolf sent him flying backwards into the far wall of the kitchen; the blow still hurt like fuck even though he had a feeling that the beast was just toying with him and there wasn’t that much distance left in the small kitchen for him to be thrown across. Drew’s vision momentarily blurred and shifted from the force of his head bouncing off of the wall before his hands began scrambling at the floor desperately to pull himself up as soon as he was able to think about doing such a thing. The wolf had its ears down low, saliva dripping fangs bared and had the sight not scared him shitless Drew would have been freaking out about the dribble that was currently being left all over the laminate flooring that he was semi-sprawled over. Righting himself Drew then slowly held his hands out before him.

“Punk, please—“he started, his voice coming out much calmer than he had intended it to, “—don’t do this to me. I know things didn’t quite work out the way that we had planned, but—“he was once again cut off when the beast lunged; one of its paws slammed him in the stomach and Drew was sent crashing into the counter with so much force that he swore he broke several ribs even though the wolf had barely exerted any energy or force behind the action. Even though he was more scared than he even had been last night surrounded by Cody’s supposed knew friends when the man named Evan had been kidnapped, Drew tried to keep reasoning with the wolf. In the back of his mind he was aware it was no good, and something told him that before the following morning was over they would be carting him out of there in a body-bag. Choking –and tasting blood where he had bitten through his bottom lip when he had been thrown across the room- Drew looked up at Punk pleadingly as he sagged to the floor again. What had he done? What was he going to do?

When Punk launched at him again Drew managed to scramble out of the way; crawling almost commando-style across to the slippery floor towards the door. Perhaps foolishly he thought he was going to be able to out-run Punk should he make it out of the kitchen given that he didn’t have a body nearly so heavy to try and commandeer in such a small space, but Punk was much faster than he had anticipated and a large muzzle slamming into his lower-back had him crashing down to the floor just between the kitchen and living-room, looking like a rat trapped beneath a cat’s paw.

Drew had always heard that when you were going to die you saw your life flash before your eyes: it was something that Drew had never believed before but was seriously reconsidering by that point. His eyes screwed shut as he tried to press his face into the carpet, praying that whatever Punk did to him he was quick about it. No one wanted to suffer, and even Drew hadn’t been intending that he was going to die so early in his life. He could feel Punk’s rancid breath against the back of his neck and he shuddered, whimpering from low in his throat despite himself. Though he was not the most perceptive bloke it the world something told him that he was enjoying what he was doing to Drew. When the iron-like jaws sank through his shoulder the shock caused Drew to lose all of his breath in one and choke on nothingness; he was so stunned that he couldn’t even formulate a scream as skin and muscle were penetrated as easily as a hot knife through butter. The pain was excruciating and Drew barely registered Punk letting go of him, turning back into his human form, before his world blacked out.

Punk leaned back against the counter, watching Drew’s limp form, considering his options. While he might prefer to be in wolf form it was harder for him to resist his instincts and think rationally while changed and this was something he needed to think about. He’d had no real plan when he broke into Drew’s place save as some half-formed idea of getting his own back. He’d thrown himself in with a pack whose leader had been easily defeated and that pissed him off; he needed to take his frustration out on someone and Drew was an obvious target. But he hadn’t thought too far ahead and now he had to make a decision.

When he had taken Drew down, he’d wanted only to kill the man. If he’d managed to hold on to Cody for just a few more days, then this whole situation could have been very different. But truthfully none of what had happened was the man’s fault and he could be... useful. Throwing himself in with another pack hadn’t worked out, but if he were to have a lackey, it would be different – he would be the one in charge, without having to consider Wade’s sensibilities. In honesty, he hadn’t cared for the pack one way or the other, although he’d been actively irritated by both Hardy brothers and knew he hadn’t been the only one. And he thought Wade’s affection for Justin had been dangerous. He’d been thinking for a while it might be the way to go, the real reason he’d gotten involved in a pack in the first place. But if he hand-picked his own candidates then he would have total control rather than having to manipulate it. 

Plus, Drew was going to either change or die. Either way, it would aggravate Chris’ pack no end. 

Reaching absently for the juice, he took a swig straight from the carton. There was no way he was going back to the pack, regardless of whether or not Wade was still in charge. If the pack had no faith in the man, then Edge would be the boss – and Punk wasn’t about to listen to what that guy had to say. If the pack even continued, there was every chance that with Wade injured and Punk conspicuously absent, they might just quietly disband. Some people had no will to get up and keep going after defeat and judging by the look on Justin’s face, he was one of those. He’d always known the man was weak.

Well, he didn’t have anywhere else to be. He’d just have to see if Drew survived a change and if not, then he didn’t much care. This neat little flat with Cody’s fading scent on everything would do him just fine for the moment. And, it occurred to him as Drew moaned, shifting slightly as he apparently tried to regain consciousness, Drew was quite the handsome specimen. Since he was already bitten, it would do him no harm to hang around and see how things went. 

He hoisted Drew over his shoulder with no apparent effort, carrying him to the bedroom and ditching the Scotsman on the bed. Drew didn’t look at all well and Punk wasn’t sure that he’d survive the transformation when it came down to that. But it wasn’t all that important. Punk rarely made plans of his own, he followed his instincts, what felt like the right thing to do. And keeping Drew around seemed to him like the right thing to do.

Minutes later, Drew’s eyes opened and he looked around blearily, gasping as he saw Punk casually sitting on the end of the bed, using the remote to flick through the channels of the bedroom TV. Looking over at Drew, Punk gave a wide grin. “Looks like I carried out my end of the bargain too,” he commented, pausing briefly on a documentary about snakes before continuing to channel-hop. “I’ll be your alpha on this scenic tour of the world of werewolves.” He dropped the remote to the bed and leaned toward Drew, chuckling a little as the other man shrank back. “Don’t be like that Drew. This is gonna be fun!”

~:~

Justin didn’t want to tell Wade what had gone down while he was unconscious, still barely breathing after Chris had beaten him. But he had never found himself able to say no to Wade even when he wasn’t pulling rank. He told Wade that he should be resting, that there was nothing to worry about, they could talk about it later and for a few minutes he thought Wade had accepted it. Wade finished off the water and with his wounds starting to heal, managed to sit himself up on the bed with several grimaces of pain. Justin watched him anxiously, but he made no attempt to help, knowing that Wade would growl and wave him off. The man could be so damn stubborn sometimes and even now, when everything had fallen apart, it seemed that Wade wasn’t keen on a display of weakness. 

Once he was sat up, Wade raised his hand to touch his ear, or what remained of it. He let out a hiss of pain as he touched the healing skin, feeling the extent of the damage. “I don’t suppose I want to look in a mirror right now,” he said, sounding tired. “How bad is it?”

Justin hesitated. “It’s not growing back,” he said, rather weakly. While it was true they healed fast, it wasn’t as if they could just grow back missing body parts. “It’s not too bad Wade. Just the lobe. And apparently it’s just cosmetic, it shouldn’t affect your hearing.”

“Just my rugged good looks?” The joke didn’t go down too well with Justin and Wade stopped trying to cheer him. “Justin, tell me what happened after the fight. I need to know.”

“You don’t need to know right now...”

“Yes. I do.”

Justin sighed, sitting on the bed beside Wade and looking at him, mildly surprised when Wade’s hand reached for his. “Well, you went down and...” He swallowed, not wanting Wade to know just how badly he had been affected by the scene. It was like they’d always been taught, they had no affiliation to a mate and yet Justin had felt his heart wrenching as he considered what might have happened, if it hadn’t been for Evan. “It was over. Chris went to t-tear out your throat and then Evan of all people – he asked for mercy for you. And Chris told us to get out of there. Me and Jeff and Matt took you back to the car, but Punk and Edge stayed behind.”

“You what?”

Justin gave a wan smile at the incredulous expression on Wade’s face. “Yeah, that was my reaction too. I couldn’t believe he would do that after I – Wade, I feel so bad. He would have come around eventually, but he wasn’t at all happy in the room. He scared me a bit. He wasn’t responding to anything at all and it didn’t seem to matter what I did, he wasn’t responding even a little...” He breathed out loudly. “I’m sorry Wade, that’s got nothing to do with anything.”

“It’s okay Angel,” said Wade, squeezing Justin’s hand a little tighter. “Go on, what happened next?”

Justin shrugged. “Not much. Matt drove us here – we’re still on their territory but I think that’s not gonna be a problem. I bribed a doctor to check on you, I couldn’t think of anything else to do. You weren’t waking up and your chest is...” He glanced down at the wound that went from Wade’s neck to his sternum, still looking horribly painful and raw even if it had healed over a little. A couple of inches higher and Evan’s pleas for mercy would have been pointless, Wade would have died right on the spot. 

“Angel.” Wade reached out rather weakly and drew Justin against him, noting that the smaller man was eager for the embrace although he avoided coming into contact with Wade’s most serious injury. “It’s okay, you did the right thing. Where’s everyone else now?”

“Matt put his foot down,” said Justin, his voice a little muffled from where he was leaning into Wade’s shoulder. “He said enough was enough and this was just too much shit. He took Jeff with him, said they were going back to where we found them. Live in the woods again, where things were simple and there was only the two of them to think about. Edge was still there when we left. I thought I heard a gunshot, but that’s not too likely, is it? And he hasn’t found us, I haven’t heard from him and I kept my phone. Punk either, I don’t know where either of them are!”

Wade considered this information, his hand slowly stroking Justin’s back. “I could give shit number one about Punk but – Edge ditched us?” Since their father had died, Edge had been the only one they’d had around to help them, educate them both in the way to behave. Wade might have taken over from Edge as the leader, but he had always relied on the blonde for guidance and leadership. That Edge might have abandoned them for good made him feel oddly lost, in a way that the rest of the pack leaving too had not. 

“It looks like it,” said Justin, drawing back so that he could look at Wade. “But – don’t you think that’s a good thing?” He noticed Wade’s blank look and frowned. “Wade, Edge set you up! He had to know that Chris was that tough, that he’d be able to take you down and he still pushed you into it! All these years he’s been all, ‘avenge your father and take your place as head of his pack’ to us, but I heard what Chris had to say and I’m not convinced he had anything to do with our father dying. Shit, he couldn’t even bring himself to kill in a fight he had won, twice! I think this wasn’t about dad. This was about him, the whole time.”

“He raised us, Chris didn’t.”

“Why should he? What did he ever owe us?” Justin dropped his eyes and sighed. “Look Wade, if you want to keep chasing after Chris after all this, then I’m with you, like I always am. But I think we should quit, now. The pack is gone. We could find Matt and Jeff, but they don’t want to be with us and I don’t see how forcing it would help. Punk’s fucking wild and I don’t know if Edge’ll come back or not. And you’re hurt. We need you to recover and then we can...” He trailed off, shrugged. “I don’t know. There must be something.” 

Wade leaned his head back against the headboard a moment, then looked Justin in the eye. “What about you Angel? Why didn’t you leave when you had the chance?”

Justin gave a small smile. “Wade, I could never leave you. You know that.”

Wade’s returning smile was slightly pained but totally genuine. “That’s good. I don’t think I could keep going if you weren’t there to help me out. Or kick my arse.” The last comment was something of a joke, since he was the alpha and Justin couldn’t do anything to him that Wade didn’t allow, but he had always been far more lenient on Justin than anyone else and Justin got away with murder compared to the rest of the pack. Where ever they were.

“Maybe I will take the time to recover,” he said, feeling weary although he’d barely been awake more than an hour. “And then we’ll re-evaluate. Think things over. Looks like it’s gonna be just you and me for a while. Think you can deal with that?”

Justin’s responding smile told Wade all he needed to know; that the situation was just fine with the other.


	18. Chapter Seventeen: How It's Gonna Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pack makes plans following John's recovery, Justin and Wade have a Much Needed Conversation, and Punk imparts some new lifestyle conditions upon Drew.

It might have been a little late for breakfast but that didn’t matter at all to the men sitting around the dining table. John wrinkled his nose at the sight of it, the place where he’d woken up and if he understood rightly, where he’d been operated on the previous night. But it didn’t smell strongly of blood, apparently someone had done a good job of cleaning and airing the room out. He took his usual seat with a grimace, sitting didn’t agree with his wound too much but he knew he was lucky, it could have been so much worse. Had Christian not been there to remove it, the bullet might have stayed stuck in there. Not too bad with a normal bullet, the scar tissue would have healed behind it and gradually pushed it through the skin – but bad news for a silver bullet, which could have poisoned or killed him. 

He looked over at Evan, who was still avoiding meeting his eye but not so desperately as before. It was clear from his body language though that he didn’t want anyone looking at him. John looked away again, trying hard not to frown in case Evan got the wrong idea from the expression. Poor Evan though – he had nothing to feel sorry for, unless being trusting and good-hearted was a sin these days. 

Beside him, Randy was leaning over the table to grab large helpings for both of them. John wanted to tell Randy that he was not an invalid and could get his own food, but he wasn’t sure that he could, the bending and stretching it would entail would only aggravate his injury and although he was trying to act as normal, it was still hurting him. Randy leaned back in his chair once he’d sorted out the food, looking over at John and winking. “Ted phoned the school earlier. He expanded on your family emergency story, said you might be off for another week or so yet.”

“Thanks,” said John with genuine relief, he didn’t want his job to suffer. He had thought he loved being a soldier, he had never realised he might prefer teaching but as it turned out, he did. Ted winked at him across the table, his mouth already full of food. 

“We’re staying around for a few days,” Randy told him in a tone that held no room for argument. “Make sure you’re completely healed before we go home – be close to the doctor.” 

Christian chuckled slightly, but was also eating like he hadn’t seen food in a month and so wasn’t able to reply. John rolled his eyes. “There’s really no need Rand, I’ll be fine—“

“We’re staying,” interrupted Randy. John shook his head, but there was a smile on his face and he accepted what Randy was saying without any further comment. 

“We decided to stay around for a while too,” added Cody. “Ted hasn’t gone back to work yet and I can do all I need to on my laptop from here. If that’s okay with you Chris.”

“That’s fine with me,” said Chris, tone neutral. But John thought he sensed some slight gratitude in the alphas voice and that made sense too; maybe Chris doing all that he thought would help would bring Evan back to his old self and get him over what had happened, but having the pack there with him would certainly help matters too. 

~~

“Fun?!” Drew choked out slightly as he gingerly touched the area where Punk had bitten him; the wide-eyed look of shock the man gave when he felt that the savage wound was already healing amused Punk greatly, as did the way that he lumbered off of the bed with very little grace to move across to the vanity mirror that was placed high up on the wall. Well, Punk reasoned absently to himself as he watched Drew surveying his ruined shirt and already partially healed muscles and flesh, neither Drew nor Cody were little guys, of course they needed their mirror at a decent height. When he seemed satisfied that he wasn’t about to bleed to death at a moments notice or anything, Drew then turned towards Punk.

“You…” he shook his head slightly, “I didn’t think I’d see you again.” Punk battered his eyelashes playfully and let his tongue flick out to fiddle with his lip-ring momentarily before cooing, “Aww, Drew, did you miss me?” the Scotsman’s lips compressed into a slightly thin line of confused embarrassment as a blush began spreading over his cheeks. “I didn’t—that wasn’t—“he started, but then clamped his jaw shut so swiftly that Punk heard his teeth clack together. “What do you smell?” Punk then asked abruptly and whatever Drew had been about to say next died in his throat at the prospect of such an arbitrary question. Blinking several times in puzzlement, Drew then obediently Drew in a breath through his nose—and froze as the myriad of scents that filled his sinuses. Amusement glimmered in Punk’s dark eyes as he watched the slight wonderment in Drew’s gleaming hues as he took in the fact that he could smell what someone was making for dinner several floors down in the apartment complex. “Pretty cool, isn’t it?” Punk casually intoned, as though discussing a music band or something.

“Yeah…” Drew nodded slowly, finding himself walking back to the bed and then sitting down upon it. Turning his head he startled when he realised that Punk was sitting right besides him; that disarming, secretly dangerous smirk that the man wore being levelled at him—what was that smell in the air? Drew’s nose twitched, trying to figure out the unusual scent that was becoming apparent to him over all of the other scents surrounding him. It was coming from Punk, but it was different from the scent that he had surmised was the other man’s. When the other man licked his lips and then moved pressing his face into the side of his neck, Drew froze and then gave a small tremor at the same time when he felt Punk’s hot breath washing over his neck, “Is something wrong, Drew?” the other man cooed against his neck.

“N-No, nothin’s wrong no.” the Scotsman cleared his throat and Punk grinned as he sensed the confused intrigue coming from Drew as he nuzzled the man lightly. Oh, he was going to have fun educating this one in the way that their kind should be educated. Pissing off Chris’ pack would just be something that came as a bonus; he had been doing it for years after all, and now he had someone to share in the fun with. But, that would come later: first he had to teach Drew about their enhanced senses and their physical capabilities… as well as the, ahem, enhanced libidos that they were blessed with. Of course, Drew was in no condition to be doing anything like that right away, regardless of how fast he was healing, and Punk was going to savour that moment. Drew might have originally wanted to become a wolf to align himself to young Cody but the other wolf knew that when he was done with Drew the other man would never look at another again unless Punk wanted him to. Yes, he was possessive when it came to his toys, in case you hadn’t noticed.

“Mhm,” Punk licked the other’s pulse lightly, quite contented to remain curled semi-on-top of Drew as the programme restarted on the TV, “Good. Glad to hear it.” As more seconds passed and the lycan genes integrated themselves within Drew’s system the other man began to relax around him. On the level of his humanity the other might not trust him, but a wolf knew their alpha and soon Drew would be treating him as such. As the TV show continued to flicker in the growing darkness of the room Punk allowed himself a secretive grin; oh, this was going to be good. Actually, to save them both some trouble, they might as well stay there for a while under Punk got the desire to find new scenery once more. Meh, it happened.

~:~

“I guess a hotel is conducive to rest and relaxation for the main,” Justin began when Wade had stirred once more from the weary slumber that he had fallen into, Wade turning his head to focus on the younger man, “-but I don’t know if it’s so good for us to not have a long-term place of residence, you know?” As a pack they had travelled to places as of when, Edge telling them that having one place where they kept returning to would make them easy targets and would make them too much like Chris’ pack; it seemed that they had all conveniently forgotten that Wade’s father used to conduct the pack in a similar manor setting like that which Chris used. “What are you saying, Angel?” Wade wasn’t stupid, he had a feeling he knew what the South African was trying to say, but at the same time he always wanted Justin to be completely honest and without secrets concerning him—and that applied to all aspects of their lives together. Justin flushed slightly, something that was just visible beneath his dark skin before then clearing his throat softly and met Wade’s eyes head-on, “I think we need to find somewhere properly to settle down.” Neither of them was stupid, they had accumulated money over time to keep them going, they hadn’t completely depended upon Edge or anyone else. Wade also had the barely-touched inheritance that his father had given him, Justin having a good portion on that… Wade went quiet as he thought about it; maybe settling down would be a good thing to spend that money on. They hadn’t yet decided on a plan of action and although they weren’t hurting for money he didn’t want them to take the piss. “I want you to do something for me, Angel,” he rumbled, voice having a little bit more strength than it had before.

“I want y’to go to the nearby shops and buy a newspaper. A decent one—not the ridiculous tat magazines that serve little use other than being toilet entertainment.” Just chuckled softly at the somewhat over-elaborate request, nodding his head to the other man, “Ok Wade,” he didn’t quite understand why the other wanted the paper but if that was what Wade wanted then Justin would get it—never mind that he was completely and utterly terrified at the thought of leaving Wade alone even for a moment when he was in such a vulnerable state. And, Justin though to himself as he pulled his shoes and jacket on and grabbed some change from his wallet, it wasn’t Chris or any of his pack that were the threat in his mind; for some reason his mind’s-eye kept conjuring Edge as some sort of rabid assailant. Shaking those thoughts from his head swiftly, Justin then moved to Wade and caressed the other’s hair before murmuring, “I’ll be right back.” And then, in a totally automatic and completely subconscious gesture, he bent down and kissed Wade on the forehead before leaving the room once he had picked up a card-key. Assured that the door was locked behind him he double-checked that the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign was up to prevent anyone like the room-cleaning staff interrupting the older man.

When Justin was gone Wade exhaled a deep sigh, pushing himself painfully into a seated position once more. Getting off of the bed made him feel as though he had just scaled Mt. Everest carrying an elephant on his back, and he was breathing as hard as though he was some pathetic little overweight meat-puppet human and had been running to catch the bus. Eventually though he managed to limp across to the mirror across the room. Before he could catch sight of himself though he closed his eyes, momentarily terrified at what he was going to look like with past of his ear missing. How could Justin even bear to look at him? He’d bet that he was hideous. Arrogant though it may seem Wade had never especially thought himself a bad-looking guy before (and he had to have some sort of looks if his Angel found him so attractive) but now, with this… also, he was probably going to have a difficult time discerning his natural appeal with all of the bruises he could feel that he had. He swallowed, took a breath.

And then, finally, he managed to berate himself into being a man and opening his eyes; the way he was carrying on about his looks he may as well cut off his penis and go about calling himself a frigging woman. Well, he looked –and felt, funnily enough- like he’d had the shit kicked out of him, and he sighed softly as he examined the wounds that he had awoken to find his sweet Angel tending to earlier in the day. He wasn’t about to admit it, but when Justin had screamed out for him that previous night when he had been locked in his battle with Chris, all he had wanted to do was tell the other man to wait whilst he went and tended to Justin. He had a bleary recollection of Justin changing at one point, but since the other bore no injuries he could only assume that someone else had stepped in and prevented Justin from being hurt or otherwise he had been so far-gone with pain by that point he had imagined the whole thing. He’d always had strong feelings for Justin, always, but it was because these feelings had been present for as long as he could remember that he had never really questioned them. Looking to meet his own eyes in the mirror Wade sighed, shoulders dropping; what was wrong with him lately?

He had managed to cross the room to the mini-bar for another drink and exerted the last of his energy getting back to the bed and collapsing down. He had been sipping from the water bottle and fighting nodding off once more when Justin came back into the room with the paper tucked underneath his arm. He also had a carrier-bag in his hand and Wade arched a brow in silent enquiry. “I brought some things to clean your wounds with—we don’t have anything in here and I have to clean them to make sure that they don’t get infected.” An infection would slow Wade’s healing and could have long term effects on his wolf body even though that was much more resilient than the human form he was in for the main.

“Ok Angel.” Wade said, knowing that he was in no condition to be tending to his own wounds; something that he would have stubbornly been insisting on had he had the energy to do so. Showing any sort of weakness was something that Wade abhorred, especially in front of Justin. Justin was far from weak but he was more sensitive than Wade himself and when they had been children it had been the Brit who had made sure that none of the other kids on the playground tried to cause any trouble for his Angel. Placing the paper aside for the moment Justin then kicked off his shoes before removing his coat and then heading into the bathroom to get one of the numerous little hand-towels that the hotel room came equipped with and to wash his hands. He was no medical practitioner but even he knew how to clean wounds. It was something he and Wade had had to learn for when their playful scraps got a little bit involved.

Each wince and grimace that Wade gave made Justin give the other apologetic looks and wince reflexively; in a way he supposed he was lucky because had he attempted to intervene on Wade’s behalf last night then he doubted that Evan would have been fast enough to prevent Chris from killing him—and he could have bet that he’d have ended up in a worse state than his lover not including the death part. Neither of them spoke save for occasional words of concern and affirmations to continue, Justin focusing on what he was doing and Wade trying to block the pain out by watching Justin. When the other had finally finished (and he had to admit that it felt oddly good when that overall pain wore off) Wade watched as Justin cleaned up before then motioning to join him on the bed as he reached for the paper. Curling up besides Wade, Justin curiously mused, “You’re going to read to me from the paper?” Wade nodded his head, then turning it enough to meet Justin’s eyes when the other asked what he was going to read him exactly. A small bit of pink appeared on Wade’s cheeks, “The houses for sale.”

~:~

Ted grinned slightly at Chris’ covert meaning, feeling Cody’s foot exerting a gentle pressure upon his own as they all fell quiet for a while to focus upon eating; the previous night they had all exerted a lot of energy, some having done so in more physical ways than others, and they needed to use all sustenance that they had to regroup. John pretended not to notice when Randy kept slipping extra things onto his plate; though he did mentally thank that he had a fucking amazing metabolism and a love of gyms, otherwise this meal would have probably had him doubling in body-size. For a moment he was tempted to ask Randy whether the other was trying to fatten him up or something, but didn’t because he knew that this was one of Randy’s little quirks that showed that he cared. John may have been scared last night, even though he had had complete faith in his mate and his pack that they would do all they could for him, yet he knew that it was probably nothing compared to what Randy had been feeling. For all his temper and his stand-offish manner Randy was a very loving and caring man and John knew that whenever something (even something minor) happened to any one of them Randy felt it with much greater emotion than he would had it happened to himself; it was one of the many reasons why John completely adored and loved the younger man with every little fibre of his being.

When everyone had finally finished rubbish was disposed of and Chris led Evan and Christian into the living-room; he wanted to talk some more with his long time friend and Evan was sticking to his side like the proverbial limpet, and Randy was soon shepherding John back upstairs to ensure that the other man was getting enough rest and wasn’t straining himself to remain up with them. Feeling slightly at a loss for what to do with themselves, Cody curled his fingers through Ted’s and then smiled softly to him, “Shall we go upstairs, baby?” there was no sexual motives in his words for once; he was going to try and do some work to give himself something to do and he just wanted Ted nearby, everything that had happened and their little moment the night before reiterating to him just how much he truly needed Ted in his life. If he had been in the position that Evan had been in last night he doubted that he could have held up so well, and he doubted that he would have had the balls to come down and face everyone that day regardless of the fact that he wasn’t blameworthy in their eyes. Evan was possibly the strongest man that he knew and that was saying something.

“Sounds good.” Ted agreed, following Cody up the stairs. Soon they were settled with Ted at the desk and Cody sitting cross-legged on the bed, both of them booting up their laptops. “I supposed that I should check in with work and make sure that I’m covered for my current lack of productivity.” It was strange that although the pack were all in separate rooms and were predominantly away from one another Ted felt as close to them as though they were all packed into the room with them. After a few minutes of quiet descending upon the pair save for the occasional sigh and furious clicking of keys, Ted then moved his laptop over to the bed and took the space besides Cody; with how crazy things had been at the moment he felt disconcerted even being sat on the opposite side of the room to the other man. Cody smiled softly for he understood how Ted was feeling. Hell, he was prepared to bet that all of them were feeling even clingier than usual as a consequence of the past few days.

Punk made himself very much at home in Drew’s apartment. The following morning, when Drew felt fit enough to get out of bed and check out just what Punk had been up to while he was recovering (and taking a quick look in the mirror to see that the bruise Chris had left on his face had completely gone, not to mention that the bite Punk had taken from him had healed over so that it was barely a few deep scratches), he wandered into the living room to find the other man had already roused himself from bed and was watching TV, shirtless with a can of cola in his hand. Drew gave him a slightly worried look and went into the kitchen – he was starving, in a way he didn’t remember ever being before. A snack didn’t appeal, what he wanted was steak or sausage, bacon would do. He found burgers in the freezer and put them under the grill, making sure he’d enough for Punk too; it seemed like the right thing to do. 

A look in the fridge told him that something was missing, it took him a few moments to work out it was the six-pack he and Cody usually kept in for an occasional drink. He took a deep breath, wandering over to the sink. It had definitely been poured down the sink – and then he blinked, realising he’d tracked the scent without even thinking about it. Taking another breath, he could smell the barely-warm burgers starting to cook, the remnants of the beer clinging to the stainless steel of the sink, Punk somewhere close. Very close. Turning, he saw the man in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed, looking amused. 

“Smell it, can you?” he asked. Drew nodded dumbly and Punk chuckled. “Yeah, you’ll get used to it.” His smile vanished as quickly as a switch being flicked. “Here’s something else you’ll get used to. You don’t drink alcohol. You’ve been blessed with enhance senses, by me, and you won’t be deadening them with that shit. Understood?”

Drew wanted to protest this – he liked the occasional drink and it hardly made him an alcoholic did it? But the arguments about it didn’t even leave his mouth. Instead he nodded again, agreeing. With a frown, he tried to get himself to speak his mind again but the only words he managed to speak were, “No alcohol.”

Punk chuckled, humour restored. “There’s a pack precedent that says you can’t go against a direct order from your alpha. That’s the pack leader, as I might have told you. I’m your alpha and that means if I give an order, you can’t disobey me.” He neglected to mention the exceptions, that sometimes a self-preservation instinct could over-ride it. He didn’t think it was something that Drew really needed to know. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna give out orders unless they’re important. But I expect that if I ask you something, you’ll do it without needing to be ordered.”

Drew chewed on his lip a moment. He didn’t like the sound of that at all. Being at Punk’s beck and call didn’t sound like a fun way to go through the rest of his life. “What are y’gonna ask me to do that’s so important?”

Punk laughed. “It’s not like I’m gonna be bossing you around all the time. There’s the rules that aren’t up for discussion, anything else is for your own good, and mine. Your burgers are burning.”

“Shit!” Drew headed over to the cooker and flipped them over. 

“I prefer them rare, for future reference,” said Punk with a slight smile. “Real rare.”

Drew had always personally preferred them practically burnt, but on this occasion he couldn’t wait and found that they seemed to taste better that way to him now; something about being able to taste the meat as it should be made it so much better. He strongly suspected that he was going to get food poisoning if he continued with the fad, something else Punk seemed to find highly amusing. “We’re wolves. In the wild, we wouldn’t bother cooking it. Hell, we’d not even heat it, or tear it off the bone. We’d kill it ourselves and eat it moments after we did, it’s not gonna poison you.”

Considering the idea, Drew realised he should find it repulsive, but instead it spoke to something in him. The idea of the chase, the hunt, the kill and the reward... he thought he could learn to enjoy that a lot. Punk watched him, letting out another laugh. “You like the thought of the hunt?” he asked. 

Drew nodded, pushing a strand of hair behind his ear. “Well, yeah, I do.”

“Just wait until full moon, when we’re doing it for real.” Punk tilted his head to one side. “Actually, we don’t have to wait until the moon to change, but since you’ve never done it before, it’s the wise thing to do before we try to make you change without it. Don’t want you to overdo it.” 

Drew looked reassured by the comment, exactly what Punk had been aiming for after Drew had looked a little worried about the obedience part. Damn, he should have done something like this years ago. It was so much better than trying to get his own way with some other pack leader. Leaning over to Drew, he nuzzled his face into the man’s neck, feeling the slight tensing of his muscles and the surprised confusion coming from him. He gave a secretive grin against Drew’s neck. Oh yes, this was going to be fun.

“I’ve got so much to teach you about,” he murmured, able to smell the subtle change in Drew’s scent. Oh yes, he was interested alright, he could sense damn well who his alpha was. And Punk was looking forward to teaching him everything. 

The day was mostly spent with Punk telling Drew what he could about their condition, although for the most part he kept telling the other he’d have to wait to experience it. Drew vocalised a rather urgent desire to force a change upon himself and Punk smiled indulgently; he might not have had a plan when attacking Drew but he was growing to believe he had done exactly the right thing all along. Punk went through the drawers, finding some of Cody’s clothes that he’d left behind and discarding pretty much all of them, not his style. Neither were Drew’s, but they’d do until he got more. He might like to be close to his wolf side, but that was hardly a reason to be dirty. And there were all the other small signs of a werewolves presence; the way soaps were all unperfumed, the surprising amount of red meat in the freezer. Punk knew it wouldn’t take too long before he grew claustrophobic in an apartment building surrounded by meat puppets with no real place to go and be free, he didn’t know how Cody had managed it for so long. But it was a good a place as any to lay low for a while and there was no pressure on him to move on for a couple of weeks yet, until the full moon. When he would have even more to teach Drew. 

He chose that night to teach Drew the lesson he’d most been looking forward to giving. He was a person who felt most comfortable at night anyway, most awake, most alive. He had always put it down to his species, although he’d noticed that not all of their species felt the same way, so maybe it was just him. When he told Drew in no uncertain terms that it was time for them to go to bed, he saw the slight hesitancy in Drew’s eyes – the man knew damn well what came next. It was the first time since his attack that he mentioned Cody, timidly, already knowing the answer. Punk fixed him with a hard stare that was at odds with the rather indulgent smile on his lips. “Cody ditched you, for another man. Stood back and let others harm you, cast you aside. But me – I gave you a new life. I’m your alpha Drew, and I’m gonna take care of you from now on. Trust me.”

Drew didn’t need any more persuasion, heading into the bedroom with Punk following behind. The moment the Scotsman took his shirt off, Punk was behind him, arms around Drew’s trim waist and nipping the back of his neck. Drew gave a slight tremble but made no move to evade Punk or push him away, something that made Punk grin fiercely against Drew’s neck in the darkened room. A wolf always knew their alpha and they always obeyed their instincts. 

Had Punk cared to think about it, he would have supposed he wasn’t anything like Drew’s ex-boyfriend in the bedroom, not that he would have wanted to be. He didn’t go in for caring lovemaking crap; it was all about the urges that their species were far more prone to than the meat puppets were. The first time he took Drew he left bites and bruises over his skin, scratches on his sides and hips, all but gnawing on the others nipples... but much as Drew cried out in pain at those acts, there was no plea to stop and a definite undertone of lust in those cries. And at no point did he soften, up until the moment he came, arching beneath Punk and giving a cry so loud that it almost hurt Punk’s ears.

Had Punk cared to think about Cody at all, he would have been damned sure that the man hadn’t garnered that kind of reaction from Drew, whether because of his foolish ties to the one he thought of as his mate or because he was scared of doing damage – they had far more stamina than their human counterparts, which made couplings with them seem brief and unsatisfying, or so Punk had found. But Drew was no longer human, even if he was only just becoming accustomed to being one of them. He could take it, and Punk had no intention of being too hard on the younger man. Well, in his opinion at least, he was saving that for a later date. This was just... initiation. 

He pulled out of Drew, breathing hard, regarding the others blissful, slightly awe-struck face and the way the marks Punk had left on him were already fading, although they would have remained for several days on human skin. Drew was clearly trying to regain his breath, but Punk wasn’t in the mood to be overly thoughtful of anyone else’s needs, not that he ever was. Grabbing Drew by the hips, he flipped him over effortlessly and buried himself to the hilt once more, quiet moan lost in Drew’s startled noise.

“Punk—“Drew sounded breathless, close to begging. “I, I can’t...”

Punk wasn’t fooled. The words sounded sincere enough, but Drew punctuated them by slamming his hips backward, trying to take Punk deeper inside himself. As a human he wouldn’t have been able to take any more but he was something greater than that now and the words were merely a hangover from humanity. He reached to Drew’s shaft, grinning slightly as he felt the solid erection pulse beneath his hand. “This tells me you can,” he murmured, thrusting harder into the man and hearing the howl from Drew as he slammed against the other’s prostate. He’d almost forgotten what it had been like to be just turned, to find out how much more ones body was capable of now, but Drew’s increasing realisations were bringing it all back to him. 

By the time Punk gave them both a reprieve and allowed them to collapse against the sheets, the night was beginning to lighten almost imperceptibly, but enough to tell him that he’d probably worn his new toy out, for the night at least. He hadn’t really meant to, but hadn’t been able to help it – not that he hadn’t been kept satisfied with the pack, but their world-wise ways was completely different to Drew’s naivety at what he now was. As he settled back against the pillows, a satisfied smile on his face, he realised that when he’d slept there the previous night, even when he’d followed Drew into the bedroom earlier, he had been able to smell the faint scent of Cody on everything, especially the bed. But that had been eradicated beneath the scents that they had created together; he really had marked all of his territory. 

Drew rolled over beside him, barely awake, settling against Punk with his head on the man’s chest. Punk was slightly startled by this; it wasn’t something he’d ever experienced before. Drew’s long hair tickled at his chest, reminding him vaguely of when the pack would end up sharing the same space and one Hardy or another would end up invading his – it was because of them he’d found out how much fun it was to pull on the long hair of a bed partner and that knowledge he’d put to use with Drew that night. But Drew hadn’t seemed put off by his roughness then and now, he was nestled against Punk as if he meant the world to Drew. Well... that was how it should be. Punk was, after all, the alpha.

“I’m going to teach you everything Drew,” he said, not knowing or caring if the other could hear him, running a hand through Drew’s hair in an oddly tender gesture, completely at odds with their earlier behaviour. “I’ll look out for you, I’ll show you how we should behave...” He smirked up into the dark. “You’re going to love it.”

~~~

John was eventually escorted back to bed by Randy despite his protests (especially when Christian agreed with his mate that he should be resting and Randy then had the hold of ‘doctor’s orders’ on him) and that left everyone else dossing about. Cody started tidying up and Evan began to help him, though he was significantly less chatty then usual as he did it—and anyone who knew Evan knew that he took great pride in domestic activities because he felt it was all that he could really do for Chris and for the pack. Even though he was one of the youngest he was almost like the mother of the pack. Then again, considering his position as Chris’ mate that wasn’t altogether incorrect as he was technically head of the mates; in the old days the mates had been the ones to take care of all domestic activities and the care of their mates. They could do so now, obviously, but it was slightly less expected than it used to be. Ted watched as his mate and Evan vanished into the kitchen, the pair of them seemed to be conversing without words. It was strange, but somewhat soothing.

If they were all here then that would probably be good for him. Chris was also watching his mate, expression somewhat sad, though just a fraction less despondent than it had been the day before. Turning his attention to Christian he then quirked a slight smile and asked, “You still not settling down yet, you old dog?” Christian was tempted to throw a chair at his friend like the old days when such insults were exchanged and they had all just been dumb kids who had thought that had it all figured out and nobody could touch them. Life had seemed to run differently for them until reality had hit and old-alpha-Barrett had gone down in such a human fashion. “It’d interfere with the lifestyle.” That had been his answer even all those years ago too, and Chris smiled a little.

“What do you do, Christian?” Ted was clearly not expecting the answer to his question and Christian smiled at him, “I guess you were expecting me to say that I’m a doctor, huh? Or a vet.” He added as a joking afterthought that they could all get amused over. “I do have a medical degree, and I was scheduled for an apprenticeship at a very prolific hospital back in Canada… then, you know, stuff happened.” Nodding his head at the phrasing, understanding, Ted didn’t ask the other to elaborate and in turn Christian seemed to appreciate that. “It looks like John’ll be Ok though, huh?” he said by way of giving a momentary respite to avoid an awkward situation developing. Chris then asked his friend once again why he hadn’t settled down and Christian sighed.

Before Evan Chris had never seemed bothered about a mate for himself, especially, but he had always been bothered by the fact that neither he nor Randy had had one. It wasn’t even worth considering such a thing with Edge being that the man had such a warped view on mates and everything. “So, you believe in them?” Ted couldn’t help interjecting and Christian nodded. “I believe in them, I just haven’t found mine yet.” He shrugged, casual as you please. Christian had always been a lain back guy and it was apparent that the other man was used to such a topic of conversation with Chris. The conversation centred around brief allusions to how they had met their mates, to satisfy Christian’s curiosity, and he in turn told them things about what he had been doing on his job. Of course Evan’s story was downplayed but Christian had already been given a couple of factors that he could fill in the gaps with the previous night when he and Chris had been talking with one another. Running a hand through his hair Ted leant back in his chair before then sitting up when Cody reappeared; the soft smile appearing on his face pure adoration.

Sitting beside his mate, Cody curled their fingers together and listened to what was said before then joining in the conversation. The atmosphere was light but still not completely right and Chris hated the fact that such grandiose misunderstandings had caused such a cloud over their home. Still, he supposed he had been naïve to think that nothing would ever happen. No, not naïve… hopeful. Yes, hopeful was the word he had been looking for. Evan sat besides Chris but his focus was down on his hands or at the couch underneath them, fingers curling into the fabric restlessly; like a dog pawing at the ground when they were uncertain about something. Disliking the tension that Evan was displaying because it would do him more harm than good Chris curled his hand gently, possessively around the back of his mate’s neck and began to lightly knead at the tense muscles there. Momentarily Evan tensed at the touch before his eyes then fluttered closed and he relaxed a little. Christian could sense that Chris was using a little alpha persuasion to help his mate relax, without even making him aware of it, and he knew that relaxing would be good for Evan. Stress would impede his recovery, mentally and physically.

Since it had been a stressful night and many had struggled to sleep around lunchtime Ted and Cody excused themselves to go and sleep and Evan said softly that he was going to do the same—though to be fair the man looked slightly scared at the thought of even going upstairs on his own. Sensing the other’s unease Chris pressed a kiss to his pulse from the hand he held and then murmured softly, “Go ahead Puppy; I’ll come up soon, Ok?” Colouring slightly in obvious distress at behaviour that Chris had no doubt Evan was construing in his own mind as pathetic and weak, Evan nodded and then turned and headed out of the room. Christian looked to his friend and said softly, “Are you sure you can help him Chris? You won’t get frustrated?” Chris wasn’t offended by the question because he knew it had been his past behaviour that had spurred it. Actually, he welcomed it: it stirred his resolve that he would do right by his mate. “Yeah,” he said softly, “-we’ve had some issues before and he’s bounced back… he’s tough. I trust that he’s strong enough to get through this we just need everyone to be here for him.” Christian nodded, looking to the door that Evan had just vacated through. “I sensed he’s got a little spark… you just need to keep that spark.”

Chris took a breath and nodded his head, “I know… I’m trying.” His friend stood and squeezed his shoulder, then asking, “Hey—shall we check the hockey game?” it was such a random, mundane thing that Chris almost told the other he was inappropriate, but then he latched onto the offer and stood up. “Sounds like a great idea.” They moved into the living-room and then turned the TV on. The sound was low and Chris knew that he wouldn’t be watching long before he moved to make sure that his baby was settled in properly. The familiar sight onscreen was soothing for him and he sighed softly before settling down on the couch alongside his friend. After about half an hour he got up and then headed upstairs; opening the bedroom door lightly he smiled softly as he saw Evan was curled up on their bed, in one of his shirts and on his side, seemingly more at ease with the little tidbits of Chris around him. Silently, with a gentle footfall, Chris moved to kneel besides the bed where Evan was sleeping, gently moving the covers so that they covered his boxer and shirt-clad mate. Evan stirred slightly, his head seeming to turn in Chris’ direction even though his eyes didn’t open or anything. “Chris…” the sound was almost like a whimper, coming from deep in Evan’s subconscious and Chris gently caressed Evan’s hair, watching as the other quietened after a few moments in his presence and gentle unheard whispers of reassurance.

~~

“Angel—“Justin shook his head resolutely, expression set in a stern look that told Wade he wasn’t going to let the other talk him out of this. “I need to tend to your wounds.” Wade didn’t want to seem weak before Justin, he didn’t. Justin was the one person he had always had to be strong for, the one person who had to be a continuing pillar of strength for. Letting Justin clean his wounds for him –although sensible because he couldn’t reach them all- would be like admitting his weakness to Justin and he couldn’t bring himself to show vulnerability before the other regardless of how much of it the other would take to his grave from what he had seen through their childhoods and beyond. Justin was the only one to see him cry for his father’s passing, the only one to see him mourning that which he had never had, for all those hypotheticals that his fanciful child’s mind had allowed him to consider before he had forced himself to grow up. Edge had been a constant in his life, but he had abandoned him… he was scared, deep down, that if he showed a weakness before Justin his only companion would leave him too.

Clucking his tongue, Justin indicated the bandages and antiseptic and wipes that he had piled on the bed before him. “Either you let me do it, Wade, or I’ll tie you down.” Wade looked torn between annoyance at Justin’s impudence and amusement for the innuendo that he was afforded. However he wasn’t exactly in a position to be playing off of those yet and he sighed at the wasted opportunity before silently nodding his head to let Justin know that he could do what he wished. Kneeling on the bed besides Wade, Justin then tenderly and painstakingly removed any dressings that the doctor from the previous night had placed upon his alpha and then before then beginning to tend to the wounds. Wade ground his jaw against any sounds of pain that wanted out as the medicine stung the tenderness of his wounds so as not to alert Justin (the other was already apologising whenever he moved onto a new wound) but it seemed that the other knew what he was thinking… something that he had thought often enough before. The South African nuzzled the Brit whenever he sensed Wade was in pain, gently assuring him that he would be done soon enough. Finally, when the last wound was dressed, Justin then hopped off of the bed to go and dispose of the used medical supplies as Wade lay back on the bed wearily once more.

Staring at the ceiling he vaguely thought that he would probably have died of septicaemia or something by now because of his stubbornness and the fact that he had been abandoned had Justin not been with him. Justin had always taken care of him, just like he had Justin, and he didn’t know why he had ever thought he would be able to cope without him when he had once suggested to Justin that maybe the other would make more of himself if he settled down somewhere without having to focus upon Wade’s then-revenge-hunting, but Justin had gone ballistic at him at the mere suggestion of it and Wade had never mentioned anything like it since. They were just… well, it seemed like they were just supposed to be together regardless of who else may come and go from their lives.

When Justin entered the bedroom again Wade motioned to him, “Justin, come here.” Momentarily Justin wondered whether he was going to get scolded for pushing Wade –even though he wasn’t going to apologise for it because he had done what he knew for sure was the right thing- and so he was a little hesitant in approaching the other. However, no such scolding arrived and instead Justin found himself being pulled astride Wade’s lap. “Wade—“he felt his whole being react to the sensation of Wade below him but he hastily pushed those feelings away; Wade was just really beginning to eat properly again and he was hardly in any condition to be doing things like that.

“W-What’s this about?” Justin asked embarrassedly, looking down into Wade’s usually unfathomable eyes which were shining with something that he didn’t recognise that well right then. “I’m sorry if you’re mad but—“Justin was cut off in his burgeoning tirade when Wade pressed their lips together in a kiss that was just slightly less soft then that first tentative one they had shared back when they had been little more than teenagers and Justin had expressed some distress to Wade about having been teased by some other boys because he had yet to be kissed. He knew he should have found it strange to kiss another boy (goodness knew he had heard it enough growing up) but he hadn’t; he had liked it, and probably liked it all the more because Wade was the one who he had given that gift to… amongst others they had exchanged with one another.

“I was just thinking, Angel,” Wade murmured softly, tracing his fingers over Justin’s sides through the t-shirt that the smaller man wore, “—about how much we’ve been through together.” Justin’s brow furrowed; it wasn’t often that Wade would allow himself to think such things since he thought such emotional considerations were pointless for an all-action man like himself, but when he did Justin knew that they would be pretty powerful contemplations. “What about it?” Justin asked, settling atop Wade’s lap, hands gently rubbing soothing circles atop the other’s torso and abdomen where there were no bandages or faded bruising. “Just… How I would probably be dead without you, and how no matter how fucked up things get or how bloody unbearable I am, you’re still here wimme.” A soft expression touched Justin’s features, a hint of exasperated fondness in his eyes, “I thought we’d been over this: I’m not going anywhere, Wade. Ever. Unless it’s with you.”

Wade leant up, catching Justin’s mouth in a thorough, possessive and yet not as sexually violent kiss like they were prone to sharing; the action had tremors through Justin’s lithe body as his hands gripped at the sheets underneath Wade’s body (tearing them somewhat) since he didn’t want to hold onto the other’s body where he was injured. When the kiss broke Justin looked dazed and flushed and so damned good; Wade wished he wasn’t so injured and he could press his advantage to show Justin how much the other meant to him in the only way that he knew how. Resting his forehead on the other’s he cupped Justin’s cheek in a possessive manner he had always had to tone down around their faux-guardian Edge lest he tease them about being ‘pathetic little mates’ as he sneered at them and told them they should just go and join Chris’ pack. Chris Jericho… something about the way the man had had nothing more than respect when talking about his father had niggled at something in the back of his mind; he didn’t strike Wade as the manipulative type and now it seemed that Edge had just been using he and Justin all along he was more uncertain with everything. Except for one thing: Justin.


	19. Chapter Eighteen: My Bedside Manner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Randy has to deal with John being an awful patient and speculation abounds as to what should happen next on all fronts.

“You can’t force me to stay in this room until the damned bullethole’s better and only let me out for meals,” complained John as Randy sternly indicated to the bed, clearly thinking he needed to lie down a little longer. “It’s cruel and unusual.”

“I’m not forcing you,” said Randy, looking almost innocent. “But I will use blackmail if I have to, I’m not above that. So either you get into bed right now, or else I’m gonna hafta start being all open with my emotions and you know how much I hate that. And then you’ll feel guilty for not taking care of yourself and it’ll all be drama. So just lie down.”

John muttered darkly, but lay on the bed and sighed huffily. “There. Now what am I supposed to do to entertain myself?”

“Anyone ever tell you you’re a horrible patient?”

“You.” John gave Randy a suggestive grin, the one he usually shot at the other man when they were in company and he was promising that the moment they were alone, he was going to do wicked things to the other. “I suppose there’s always the one thing we could be doing...”

“No.” Randy looked rather surprised at the response himself, but continued relentlessly. “You’re supposed to be getting better! Tell me honestly, you think you could enjoy it if you’re wincing in pain every time you move?”

“It’s not every time I move,” said John, starting to feel like a tantruming five year old. “Just sometimes, if I move too much or too fast – oh hell, okay, no sex.” He sighed. “I’m sorry. I just hate lying here waiting to be better. I hate feeling weak and I hate feeling like a burden.”

“You’re not a burden.” Randy sat on the bed beside John, looking him in the eye. “But this is serious, it’s not healing as fast as it should because of the fucking silver and you’re not as strong as normal. It’s better to rest up and recover faster than to push it and have a setback.”

John nodded. “I know. I just hate not doing anything, y’know? Makes me feel lazy. You know, I usually have a hundred and one things on at any given time and being laid up like this, it’s just – frustrating. I don’t feel ill especially. Just weak. Like I’ve been ill, but I’m better now.”

“Well, you’re confined here for a while, so you might as well get used to it.” Randy had anticipated John’s feelings on the matter though, he knew his mate and he knew that the other man would be feeling restless. John was never happy unless he was twice as busy as a normal person; he was the only person Randy knew that would willingly take on extra work, volunteer to spend time with the children who were struggling and still make the time to spend with Randy, or with the rest of the pack. John was like a frigging machine when he got going. “I’ve had a word with Chris, he’s offered you the use of his laptop while you’re here so that you can keep up with school – you can set the assignments and find out what’s happening in the classroom because I know what a control freak you are.” He smirked. “And since any other time you’ve had to take out of school, they’ve not bothered too much about you breathing over their shoulders electronically. Ted and Cody are in charge of the shopping and y’know, I already gave them a huge list of all those DVDs we keep threatening to watch and not getting around to. That’s your TV time. And I asked Cody about some books, him being a journalist I thought he had to know more about it than I did. He promised to find a nice selection and since they’re not going today and Cody packed his whole life in the car before coming here, he’s got a few that you can steal from him. How his tastes run, I don’t know. He might be into oldy-worldy swoony romances, or gay cowboys eating pudding. Not that I’ve anything against gay cowboys eating pudding. In fact, I’m gonna add a cowboy hat and some chocolate cake to the shopping list and hand them to you the moment you get better.”

John laughed, not his usual hearty laugh because the act hurt his stomach too much, but a laugh nonetheless. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Randy chuckled, but it faded as he settled himself more comfortably beside John. “This is probably a bad time to mention this, but you know how shitty my timing is – almost as bad as yours...”

John swiped Randy with the back of his hand, making the younger man chuckle again before becoming serious. “I was just thinking that if I were in their shoes –-“There was no need to clarify who he was talking about. “Then I’d wanna strike now, if I was as hell-bent on attack as they seemed to be. While we’re not strong. I mean, Chris has been injured and he’s distracted, you’re laid up, Evan’s in no state to be even thinking about a confrontation, hell he’d probably be scared to death to see any of them again – and that’s half the pack right there.”

“Maybe.” John shifted a little, mindful of his wound, catching his lower lip between his teeth a moment while he thought about it. “But then again, we didn’t come off worst that night, did we? Wade’s in a way worse way than Chris is. I doubt very much he’s back on his feet yet. Those brothers – what did Christian say their names were, Matt and uh, Jeff? They didn’t seem very invested. They were there but they didn’t look much like they had Wade’s back. If Chris would have killed Wade, they probably would have been out of there five seconds later. I might not have tangled with Punk as much as you have, but he’s always struck me as more of an opportunist than a planner. He might know we’re at our weakest right now, but without the back-up and knowing we’d be on our guard, he’s actually less likely to hit us and more likely to use the chance to put some distance between us and him. I’d be amazed if he’s even near the territory. And Edge wouldn’t try anything right now, especially not alone. Because of you.”

Randy glanced at him sharply. “Huh?”

“He said what he did to deliberately goad me into attacking him. Like Chris said, Edge never thought that Wade would defeat Chris but I think he assumed that Chris would be more unforgiving, given that his mate had been taken. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Edge didn’t come up with the original plan to seek out pack members who might not know about them. Evan was a bonus for them but considering they were after Cody at one point, I think any one of the new members would have done. Chris realises that by letting Edge live, he’s allowed for some loose ends and he doesn’t make that mistake again – in other words, Chris learns not to allow an enemy the chance to return and threaten us again, so he kills Wade. Or that was the plan at least. I can’t say for sure obviously, but I think the bullet was meant for him, not me. Chris tears out Wade’s throat, Edge heads over there in the aftermath and shoots Chris in the head. Silver bullet takes care of him. Then it’s us versus them, but both of our leaders are gone and – I don’t know. Edge would have had some plan to get out of the ensuing scrap. Probably he would have thrown those brothers and Justin to the wolves, pardon the pun. He couldn’t trust that Punk would do it, but he probably would have stuck around to fight for a while at least. But... I think what happened threw him off. When Evan intervened and then Justin got involved, bang went his ‘angry father-figure’ excuse and he let the chance go. Only Chris isn’t the only one he’s pissed off with – you said yourself, you refused to leave the pack with him. Wade said something when they phoned Chris too, so it’s obviously something he’s mentioned. Maybe he’s even brooded over it. God only knows, if I lost you, I’d brood too.”

Randy let his hand move to John’s thigh, stroking it in a gesture that was affectionate rather than deliberately arousing – he had meant it when he said that John wasn’t getting any until he was healed over. “So, you think that for Edge, shooting you was plan B?”

“Yeah. Makes sense. He’s got a gun, a silver bullet and he can’t get at Chris anymore. There’s nothing left to do but leave. But he probably knew he could get a reaction from me, your mate, by challenging our relationship. So he did, like an idiot I went for him and that gave him all the opportunity he needed.” John paused a moment. “I think Punk knew about the bullet. It’d explain why he got involved when they were so heavily outnumbered.”

“That’s...” Randy tried to think of Edge being that jealous over losing him and couldn’t. He and Edge had always been strictly casual, at Edge’s request as well as in his own mind. But then again, he hadn’t been a sharing soul either and no doubt Randy choosing to remain with Chris rather than leave with him had rankled. Perhaps it had increased in importance over the years. “That’s really fucked up.”

“And that’s why I don’t think he’ll be back anytime soon.” John’s hand found Randy’s, the one on his leg, lacing their fingers together and squeezing it. “If he just wanted to cause injury, he wouldn’t have bothered with the silver – and I imagine they’re not easy to make. I mean, if he was doing it himself he wouldn’t be able to mess about too much since he’s allergic too, and Evan said they were in a hotel, I don’t think it’s the place to indulge in a little smelting. He probably paid someone to do it, but doing that just means that he was planning something like this all along. He intended some damage and he knows that if everything he hoped for happened, then I’m dead.”

John’s words were so stark, said in such a matter of fact voice, that Randy’s hand tightened almost involuntarily on John’s. He told himself he had to let up, because John wasn’t as strong as he usually was, but it took all his self-persuasion to relax his hold on his mate. John dying was his worst fear come true, just as it was for any wolf who had found his mate and hearing it spelled out for him alarmed him like nothing else could. Had he been in wolf form, he would have been trembling and whining, ears flat against his skull. As a human, it showed in his tense body language and in the look in his eyes.

John reached out with his free hand to rest it on the side of Randy’s face. “He might realise a gut-shot isn’t a sure kill and there’s no guarantee that I’m dead – but the silver and the point-blank range would be enough for him to talk himself into believing it, maybe. That’s why he isn’t coming here. He knows how strong you were back then, he knows you’ve grown stronger since, in every sense, and he’ll know that you’d not rest on seeing him, until he was dead or you were. And I know he can’t beat you in a fair fight.”

“I promised you—“Randy’s voice was hoarse and he paused a moment to clear his throat, the hand that had been propping him up raising to rest on the one John had on his face. “When we were taking out the bullet. I promised he’d pay for what he’s done and I meant it. I will end him.”

“Perhaps.” Randy opened his mouth to protest and John silenced him with a look. “I don’t mean that you can’t. I mean that I don’t want you spending your life chasing after him in some wild hope of revenge when I’m right here and gonna be just fine. If you go after him then you’re thinking of him, not me and I don’t like that. I dare say that when we’ve regrouped, Chris’ll call us together and we’ll decide on some strategy. But until then, you’re supposed to be entertaining me while I’m stuck in here.”

Randy sighed. “Fine then,” he said, not without some bad grace. “But if he shows his face anywhere near me, or if I get the slightest hint of where he is – John, I’m not gonna let that go. I will kill him.”

“Not if I get to him first.” John allowed a small smile that was less than genuine. He didn’t like the idea of Randy chasing after Edge, not at all, but he knew his mate too well. The best he could hope for was that Randy’s immediate future wasn’t filled with thoughts of finding and destroying the man, a stay of execution. Not over any thought of Edge’s well being, merely because he was concerned for Randy – if Edge had managed one silver bullet, he might have more and he’d already proven he wouldn’t hesitate to use any trick in the book to save his own hide. He had no doubt Edge could do that to Randy as well, there was no real loyalty or empathy there, merely anger and lingering jealousy. And if John had to get to Edge first to stop anything happening to Randy, then that’s what he’d do.

“Come on,” said John, abruptly changing the subject now that he was sure that Randy was reassured there would be no reason for him to keep watch out for possible intruders at the mansion (and he was already well aware, although he hadn’t been told, that Chris would have locked the grounds up tight, the manor protected by the numerous security features that Chris rarely bothered to enable. “Since I’m gonna be here a while, how about we get out some board games? Monopoly?”

The look of hastily guarded horror was enough to make John start laughing all over again. “I didn’t mean it. I say TV for today and maybe Evan’ll let me steal his X-Box for a while. Or maybe I shouldn’t ask.”

“Ask,” replied Randy, with obvious relief at not being subjected to hours of monopoly. “You don’t have much of a choice, you’ve gotta find a way to pass the time. But Evan needs to be around people more than he needs to be alone right now. I don’t think the solution to his problems is gonna be found in Call of Duty.”

~~

“You’re gonna have to let me get up then.” John pointed out and Randy frowned before then sighing and obediently backing up enough to help his lover stand up. John wanted to growl in annoyance at the way he was being treated as an invalid (even though he knew he was technically) before then merely taking a mental breath to calm himself as he knew snapping at Randy would only make him feel worse in the end. They made their way across to Evan and Chris’ room, seeing their alpha kneeling besides his mate and stroking his hair. They both started to backtrack but Chris had already scented them and merely motioned quietly that they could come in. John winced slightly as he torqued his ribs trying to be quiet, but then smiled to Chris sheepishly. “I’m going stir-crazy and I was going to come and ask Evan if we could use his X-box for a while, but since he’s asleep…” Chris held up a hand and quirked a small smile at the pair of them.

“Don’t worry about it, guys—take it.” Evan wouldn’t mind normally and he didn’t see why the other would be bothered about it now. “Feel free to take it.” He was still talking softly, hand not pausing in the gentle stroking motion that it had been using to make Evan calm down in his restless sleep. “He won’t mind.” And it was only because Chris was so sure of this that he allowed the allocation of Evan’s things –even to the others in the pack- without the other’s express permission. Running a hand through his own hair Chris then pointed to the cupboard where Evan neatly stored his X-box out of the way when it was in their bedroom; when he had it on the TV downstairs he kept it neatly stored underneath the television unit. Neatness seemed to be a compulsion of Evan’s and even though it could be somewhat daunting when he went on one of his cleaning-benders, the little quirk was what made Evan, Evan, and he wouldn’t be himself without it.

Trusting that Chris was right –and expecting that he was being that he knew Evan better than any of them- Randy moved forward and collected the game system since John couldn’t exactly be bending over and such, thanking their alpha once he had collected it and then helping his mate out of the room and back to their own. Chris heard the all-but inaudible click of the door to his and Evan’s bedroom closing, turning his attention back to Evan. He was surprised to see two partially open, sleepy eyes gazing back at him. “Is something wrong?” Shaking his head Chris sent the other a small, reassuring smile before touching Evan’s nose with his own in a canine gesture, “No, nothing’s wrong.” He soothed. “John and Randy just came to ask you for your X-box… but since you were asleep I told them they could borrow it. Is that Ok?” the small man nodded, forcing himself into an upright position even though Chris had been intending that he return back to sleep for a little bit longer. “Yeah, that’s fine…” Evan rubbed at his eyes, looking around, seemingly a little disoriented—but that was easy in their state of advanced sense and such because there was a lot that you had to get used to and fast. “How long have I been out?” he seemed surprised when Chris said it was barely half an hour, and made to stand up. Chris moved in tandem but bore Evan gently back to the bed with him, wrapping his arms around the smaller man and saying softly that he wanted to lay with him a while. After a few seconds Evan curled into his lover’s embrace, face pressed into his mate’s neck.

~~~~~

Sighing in irritation Cody tapped a few more keys on his laptop before then giving in and closing the item down; his latest article was going nowhere and he couldn’t focus on anything other then what had been happening lately. Ted looked up from where he was laid on his bed, Cody having been using the desk to support himself as he worked. “Are you Ok, baby?” he asked and Cody sighed again before nodding and giving a weak smile, “I’m just currently so unfocused I was about to resort to using that God-awful text-speak in my article… and somehow I don’t think my publishers would appreciate that.” Smiling slightly Ted motioned Cody to join him on the bed, wrapping his arms around the other’s waist when he was close enough and pulling him down into a kiss. “A break could do you a world of good, Codes.”

Considering that he was about five minutes away from throwing his laptop out of the window in frustration Cody was inclined to agree. The ravenette found himself wrapping his arms around Ted’s neck lightly, fingers curling through the blonde hair, the kiss deepening in mere moments. There was a burgeoning desperate undercurrent in the action from Ted and Cody was helpless but to fight the passion that his mate was displaying towards him. Soon, Cody was laid underneath Ted, the other man propping his weight on his hands from where he was hovering over the other. Seeing the conflicting emotions in Ted’s eyes Cody brought a hand around to cup his cheek, meeting those beautiful bright blues and asking softly, “What’s wrong, Teddy?” Ted sighed, resting his forehead against Cody’s a moment before then drawing back, “I just… I don’t know how Chris and Randy are coping with what’s happened to John and Evan.” He admitted, “I know if it were me I wouldn’t be so calm.”

The younger man arched a brow somewhat at the assessment and Ted looked slightly sheepish before reiterating, “Well, you know what I mean—they aren’t smashing the place to bits even though I know deep down they must both want to, and they’re not rushing off to get revenge: again, something I know they both must be dying to do.” As he had told Cody last night he had no idea what he’d be doing right now if Cody had been the one who had been abused or the one who had been shot; chances were though that he’d be paying Chris a lot of money towards property damages at the very least. Cody smiled softly, his expression showing that he understood what Ted was getting at; although his temper seemed essentially quite frequent and light he could have his moments where he got way beyond pissed… and it was that temper that had caused him to rip the front door from his old place before he had gotten with Drew… that had been difficult explaining to the caretaker of the building. His thoughts were cut off when Ted’s lips met his own once more and Cody allowed himself to sink into the kiss. There was a part of him that felt funny being intimate with Ted when Christian was in the manor, just because it seemed somewhat rude, and it was also somewhat awkward with regards to their pack-brothers who currently had damaged mates who were in no state to be doing what they were. However, the creature inside of him would not be denied its needs and Cody also knew he, himself, needed reassurance that Ted was as Ok as he was. As they could be.

Gently, but quickly, Ted removed Cody’s shirt and began worshipping his lover’s chest with his mouth, causing Cody to arch and moan. Before Ted could become too involved in what he was doing though Cody was flipping them over and Ted found himself on the receiving end of Cody’s worshipping mouth instead. His hands gripped at the sheets underneath them as Cody’s mouth moved lower (distinctly hearing a slight ripping sound that he disregarded) before he was then crying out as Cody’s lips and tongue bypassed his already aching erection and began pausing an astonishingly single-minded attention towards his entrance. The feeling of that pliant, thorough tongue had Ted’s eyes rolling up as he bit down on his lip to essentially keep himself from howling Cody’s name. It didn’t bear thinking about that what had happened had happened to any of them, but understandably he was more biased with regards to Cody in that respect. When his lover stopped his ministrations Ted couldn’t help but whine before he then pulled the other into another kiss.

~~~

Edge growled to himself softly as he paced up and down the road outside of the hotel where they had all been staying; Matt and Jeff’s scents had all but been eradicated so he knew for sure that neither of them were there anymore, Punk was also missing and Edge found himself slightly wary of that given that not knowing where Punk was, was not a good thing since he was as unstable as he was and finally, Justin and Wade were up in the room. Wade’s scent was growing stronger with each passing second but it was still much weaker than usual thanks to his injury. Edge frowned suddenly and then backed up into the shadows as his sharp eyes saw all the way up to the floor Justin and Wade were still residing in, watching as Justin came out onto the balcony and squinted into the darkness. He lingered long enough to let Justin know that someone was there and then turned and vanished into the nearby undergrowth. Well, none of this had happened the way that he had been hoping and now he had to rethink his whole attack-plan. The only good thing that had come out of this was that he had managed to exact some revenge over the man Randy’s mind had been warped by.

A devious smile appeared on Edge’s face as he began to pick up speed to reach the rental car he had been using to avoid having anyone being able to tail him; the fact that he had probably killed Randy’s mate meant that the man would be consumed with an all-out rage… and then he would be coming back to him. To Edge it didn’t matter how he got Randy back as long as he did; the boy had had so much potential in him and Edge had been moulding him into the perfect animal… but then everything with old Barrett had happened and he had been stupid enough to under-estimate his old friend Chris. Gunning the engine, Edge tightened his hands around the wheel and peeled down the empty country road he had been on before then turning and heading to the nearest city to where Chris and his little pack were residing. If he was close enough Randy would find him. He hadn’t been joking when he had offered Randy a shoulder to cry on… or to nibble on. The blonde pulled up in the little town sometime later, casually sauntering into the nearest guest-house and charming the young female desk assistant; hey, just because Edge preferred the company of men didn’t mean he hadn’t had the softer side now and again. Soon, he was letting himself into yet another hotel room and he collapsed down onto the bed with a sigh, wondering what he’d do next.

~~

“Angel… what is it?” Wade’s low voice sounded behind him and Justin turned around, frowning softly, “I thought… I thought I could sense one of us, but…” he couldn’t pick up a discernable scent. Only a faint spike of one of their kind, but overshadowed somehow in a shockingly understated way. Wade didn’t seem too concerned and Justin would have told him off for it had it not seemed pretty obvious that no one was going to be bothering them. If Edge was going to show his face then he would have done it by now, right? Justin grit his teeth slightly at the thought of the blonde man; he had some serious answering to do about what the fuck he had been playing at goading Wade to take on Chris. The lack of contact with Edge only cemented in Justin’s mind that they really had seemed to have been nothing more than pawns to their old guardian, and that pissed him off and hurt in equal measure.

“Come on in, Angel.” Wade could sense a storm coming on and the noise could hurt their sensitive ears even when they had all the windows and doors closed. Justin did as he was bid, closing and locking the balcony door behind him out of habit than actual necessity; it wasn’t though someone would be able to get far in burgling them if they had the balls to try. Wade then motioned Justin onto the bed and the smaller obeyed. They had always been close but he noticed lately that more than ever Wade seemed to want to keep him close. This was something Justin admittedly appreciated because he wanted to be around Wade too. If Evan hadn’t stopped Chris from attacking and killing Wade, then Justin didn’t know what he would have done. The bigger man seemed to be recovering, the deeper wounds taking the longest obviously and the scrapes and bruises fading quite quickly thanks to Justin’s mother-henning that Wade had to admit he was secretly enjoying.

Wade wrapped his arms around Justin, the smaller man responding by settling against Wade’s chest and resting his own hands on Wade’s chest. Wade had to admit that this was different to what they usually behaved like, but still familiar – they had behaved like this when they were much younger, teenagers and just discovering their need for affection. Both of them being born werewolves had made it stronger than the urge would have been in a human, or so Wade surmised from what he had discovered in a conversation with Jeff one day shortly after the other man had joined the pack, but had been weakened once the pack had grown and Edge had started mocking them for their apparent mate-affiliation. It had been a rare occasion when they had been able to lie together in such a way since Wade had turned fifteen and he hadn’t realised just how much he had missed it until he had it back.

He was being forced to reassess everything since the fight with Chris. His pack was history. His confidence had taken a serious jolt with losing the fight, something he had never thought could happen. And now he found out that it was Evan who had saved his life, which shook him to his core. Edge, his father-figure since his own father had died had apparently abandoned both of them, which he knew wasn’t really to do with losing but his mind insisted on making the connection, shaming him horribly. But there was the one constant he had always had; Justin. He didn’t want to go out chasing the pack, or finding a new one. He wanted initially to stay in the hotel licking his wounds. And then he wanted to start a new life, a normal life. With Justin. No pack, no vengeance, no nonsense, just the two of them doing something normal, something human. Neither of them had experienced that before but he thought he’d like to try it. 

Justin fell asleep almost immediately, clearly exhausted from his time staying up with Wade and tending to his wounds. Wade stroked the smaller man’s hair, smiling a little to himself. His father had always been noncommittal about mates, saying that some people had them, some didn’t. Edge had been far more dismissive, saying it was all a myth to tie a person to a pack and a partner, wolves aping human behaviour. They were above that, Edge had always said. But his occasional comments about Randy Orton made him wonder even before the fight; Edge seemed so bitter that the man had not chosen to go with him when he was ejected from the pack. And the way Wade felt about Justin – it had come to the fore since the fight but he had noticed it even before that. He needed Justin with him, like oxygen. It was no secret that he had become more amorous when Punk, Jeff and Matt had joined the pack and that most of his attentions had been directed at Justin, it had either been that or to have the other subject to the attentions of the others. He had put up with that, but he had been Justin’s first – and every time Justin was with the others, he had been in a foul humour for quite a while afterward. He had also noticed that Justin got quiet when Wade indulged himself with other members of the pack and seemed clingy afterward. He had been brought up to believe that mates were a lie... but he was starting to reconsider that, just as he was starting to reconsider a lot of things. And if mates really did exist, then Justin was his. He didn’t think he would miss having the attentions of anyone else, but he knew he’d be devastated without his Angel. 

He kissed Justin’s shoulder, hoping that he’d be recovered by the time he woke up. He wanted to show Justin that he was more than happy for it to be just the two of them in the best way he knew how.

~~

Cody moaned into the kiss, the rest of the pack completely erased from his mind as Ted’s tongue curled into his mouth. There was nothing at all better than being with his lover – his mate – in this way and there was no force on earth that could have stopped him from continuing. Ted meant everything to him and they had a lot of lost time to make up for, given that they had been separated for so long. But this time – well, when Ted had told him that he would never leave again, Cody believed him. Ted never made a promise that he didn’t keep and didn’t mean. 

All but tearing at the few clothes he was still wearing, Cody positioned himself at Ted’s entrance and thrust himself to the hilt in a single move; the sound of Ted’s unashamed cry of lust music to his ears. He immediately set his pace as fast and hard, letting the animalistic side of him that needed Ted so badly take over. He felt Ted’s legs wrap around his waist and rested a hand on his thigh, looking down at his mate. Ted was so tight around him and the look on his face was a study in ecstasy; Cody was certain the expression was mirrored in his own face. Ted always felt so good. He might have only been with one other man, but he knew damn well he could have been with a hundred and none of them could measure up to his lover. 

“Oh god Teddy~” Cody strived to drive himself harder into his mate, gaining another cry from Ted as he hit that spot inside of the other man. After all that had happened he needed to make his mate feel good, an instinct he had been told about but had never really understood until that moment. Ted was gripping the sheets beneath him, teh fabric tearing still further, not that Cody gave a shit about those. He leaned forward to give Ted a kiss that was messy, breathless adn nothing less than perfect, feeling Ted’s hands raise to go to his shoulders, the other gripping him tightly enough to bruise, moving his hips to meet Cody’s every thrust with quiet moans and cries that were very welcomed.

He was very aware when Ted’s cries changed in pitch and volume, leaning his head down to draw Ted’s nipple into his mouth, tugging slightly at the nub with his teeth. The effect was immediate and obvious; Ted all but howled his name, release hot over Cody’s stomach, his internal muscles gripping Cody so tightly that the other couldn’t hold himself back and longer. Releasing Ted’s nipple, he threw his head back and joined his own voice in the cry, allowing his own climax to wash over him. The first time he had taken Ted in this way, he had planned to pull out of the other man rather than cum inside him, but Ted had sensed his intention and gripped him far too close to allow the move, something that Cody was glad about – it showed an incredible amount of need from the other and Ted had done the same thing ever since. This time was no exception, even as he recovered his breath, Cody could feel just how Tight Ted’s legs and arms were wrapped around him.

Cody allowed himself to rest his body on the other man’s, hearing the way Ted’s heart pounded within his chest. It was rather an amazing sound, to know that he had affected Ted in that way was a hell of an ego boost. “Damn, Teddy,” he murmured, hearing the other chuckle breathlessly at the comment. He planted a small kiss on Ted’s chest. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” murmured Ted, sounding hoarse and satisfied. 

Cody stroked his hand over Ted’s damp chest, not moving himself – Ted was well able to support his lesser weight. “I don’t know Teddy, you just tear down all my good intentions. I didn’t don’t know, it seems a bit – you know, rude of us to be doing that while John’s ill and Evan’s probably not in the mood and Christian’s here.”

“Rude?” Ted smiled at the word before growing serious again. “I know what you mean, but there’s no point in sympathy-abstinence.”

“I know.” Cody sighed slightly. “I just didn’t want to rub their faces in it. I mean, especially Evan. He still doesn’t smell right, you know how he normally smells like Chris? Now he does, but not so much as usual. And he’s got that whole mouthwash thing going on. He smells like he’s been drinking it.” He hesitated a moment, hoping that saying what he was thinking aloud wouldn’t make him sound like some voyeur, sadist or pervert. “It makes me wonder what the hell happened while they had Evan.”

Ted nodded sombrely, not thinking anything of the sort; much as he hated to consider it, the issue had crossed his mind too. “But he’ll get past that Codes. I mean, Chris is completely dedicated to getting him past it. I can’t help wishing there was something more we could do to help him, but really I’m just grateful that everyone’s back in one piece. It was bad – but not as bad as it could have been. We got Evan back, Chris wasn’t beaten and killed. And John seems to be recovering.”

Cody nestled his head in a more comfortable position on Ted’s chest. “Randy’s really gonna kill Edge over that, isn’t he?”

“Yeah.” Ted’s voice was grim. “He really is.”

~:~

Chris wasn’t entirely sure what to do for the best. He had dealt with Evan’s former profession as best he could, trying to rid the other of his shame over it – but at least then, Evan had at least the illusion of having control over the situation. Tied down and molested the way he had been, he’d had no choice but to take it and he knew that in spite of that, Evan blamed himself. It was not a situation he’d ever thought he’d have to deal with, given how protective of Evan he usually was, but he was determined that nothing was going to stop him picking the pieces up for the other. All he could really do though was go with his instincts. He had no real idea of what he was going to do. 

For the moment, it seemed that Evan was just fine resting against him, head buried in Chris’ neck. Slowly, Chris caressed the other man’s back, remembering having times like this when they had first gotten together – he had been reluctant to do anything sexual with Evan back then; he hadn’t wanted his mate to think of him in the same way he thought of the others he’d been with, out only for his own gratification. He hadn’t wanted Evan to feel obligated, like the financial security and improved life he was offering came with the price of having to service Chris any time he was in the mood. It was Evan in the end who had made that move in the end, moving to sit on Chris knee, putting a hand on either side of his face and stating very seriously just what he wanted. There had been a slight flush to Evan’s cheeks, as if he expected to be denied, and Chris had been able to smell the lust in him. He had never denied Evan anything and of the few things he asked for, that had been the easiest wish to grant.

Evan certainly didn’t smell like lust again and Chris was certainly not going to rush him into that – if Evan never wanted sex again, then Chris would not force the issue. He just wanted Evan to be himself again, without the taint of what had been done to him weighing on his heart. As much as he wanted the physical side of their relationship, it was Evan himself that Chris loved and he could live without that – although he wasn’t sure he could do without being able to kiss the smaller man. Evan had accepted the kisses Chris pressed to his skin, but on the occasions Chris had tried to kiss him on the lips, Evan had moved his head away. He supposed that after what had happened, Evan had some phantom taste in his mouth that he was scared of Chris noticing. Well, the aversion would pass, given time. He hoped. 

They lay together for a while, Chris wondering what Evan was thinking. But his mate wasn’t sharing his feelings, just lying there and breathing against Chris’ neck. Chris decided that Evan probably needed the peace and allowed him to remain quiet rather than forcing the issue.

About half an hour later, he became aware of Evan’s stomach making a slight growl and he smiled; he hoped that the other would eat something with some sign of enthusiasm rather than the minimal amount that dutifully passed his lips. Moving his head back slightly, he stroked Evan’s cheek, noticing that the others eyes were over-bright, as if he had been ready to cry and not even realised. “You hungry Puppy?”

Evan gave a slight shrug, attempting a smile that didn’t quite work. “Kinda.”

“Come on, I’ll make you something.” It occurred to Chris that he was treating Evan a little like an invalid, because it was usually the smaller man who did the cooking for them. However, he really did want to make the food; he wanted to take care of Evan as he had miserably failed at doing when the other pack had kidnapped him. That, combined with John’s injury, made him think that really, he wasn’t a very good leader. 

Pushing those thoughts away, he moved in to kiss Evan without even thinking about the gesture, trying not to feel hurt when Evan lowered his head slightly so that the kiss landed on his forehead. As he had known, it would take some time for his mate to feel he was able to do that again... and Chris was determined to give him that. He loved Evan more than life itself and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for the other, including waiting until Evan was ready for this.


	20. Chapter Nineteen: Say No

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris struggles seeing Evan still struggling and Edge tries to make another move after receiving unwelcome news from Randy.

When morning dawned it was to Justin feeling lips against the back of his neck; lips that he’d recognise anywhere but using a much softer pressure than he had felt from the other in a long while groggily Justin’s eyes fluttered open and he tried to process what was going on. A large hand was caressing his ribs and stomach and Justin mewed softly as he felt the lips envelop his earlobe as teeth gently tugged on the sensitive flesh. “Wade…?” even though he sincerely doubted it’d be anyone else (though he had never admitted it his body was never as in-tune with anyone else the way it was Wade) the bigger man’s name came out as a question. A small chuckle sent warm breath over his ear and Justin trembled lightly; a soft mew leaving him as Wade’s long fingers brushed over the nub of his nipples, teasing it lightly.

“Good morning, Angel,” Wade’s eyes took in the beautiful image that was Justin just waking for the day and already becoming pretty aroused from the flush he could just make out underneath the other’s dark skin; the slight rippling of the muscles of Justin’s toned abdomen alerted Wade to the fact his actions were inducing another reaction from the younger man. “-did you sleep alright?” he began pressing kisses to Justin’s smooth throat, tongue caressing the thrumming pulse there and causing Justin’s breath to catch before he then responded, “Y-Yes. Wade what are you—you’re not well—“Wade shook his head slightly, fingers pinching Justin’s sensitive nipple and making the small body convulse, “I feel fine, Angel, trust me.” He used his other hand to keep Justin where he was –spooned before Wade with his back to Wade’s chest- even as he turned his head to face him.

“I feel fine.” The man kissed the younger and gently drew Justin’s smooth leg back over his own, opening the smaller man to him even though their bodies were underneath the covers. “Angel…” Wade’s face pressed into Justin’s dark hair; inhaling his scent before he murmured something so low it was even nigh-on inaudible to him. It sounded like, “Can’t live without you.” But Justin sincerely doubted that Wade would say such a thing to him of all people and so he let it go. Of course, the fact that one of Wade’s fingers had just brushed against his entrance had caused his mind to short-circuit and whatever he had been about to say was wiped from his mind. His other arm wrapped around Justin’s waist as he pressed the digit inside of the tight muscles that Justin possessed; muscles that always clung to him so tightly when he was inside the other as though trying to keep them both as close together as possible without using words. Although what Wade was doing to Justin felt extremely good Justin couldn’t be relaxed about anything until he saw for himself whether Wade was healed or not. Indeed, it seemed that Wade had gotten over the worst of his injuries because what had once been open wounds were sealed over at least even if they hadn’t healed over completely. The way the other was holding him, preparing him, felt different—and something told Justin that it had nothing to do with the fact that Wade was healed. The other had always treated him a little rougher (and vice versa) since they had hit their teens and had first begun getting taunted by Edge when they had been involved with one another, and the way Wade was treating him now was… reverent.

~~

He and Randy had been playing the X-box for about an hour before John sighed and had to set the controller down; it was no fun playing when he couldn’t do all the extra moving around that he usually did when he really got into the game, because it hurt like a bitch whenever he did. Randy had looked as though he was going to stop when John did, but John instantly assured his mate that he could keep playing even though John wasn’t and John supposed he could do something more productive with his time.

Usually he would have the laptop on his stomach but obviously with his injury that wasn’t possible, and so he was forced to awkwardly have the laptop resting at his side whilst he typed with one hand since the other arm couldn’t stretch to join the other as that too hurt him. God, the sooner this fucking wound healed over the better. Out of the corner of his eye Randy could see his mate’s frustration through the tightening of his jaw and the way he took deep breaths and counted to ten (something Randy himself had learnt in anger management) before trying to continue on with what he had been doing. Soon, the laptop was booted up and irregular tapping sounded.

There were a couple of emails from his colleagues (each of them wishing him well with his family business and telling him that they hoped to see him again soon) another from the headmaster (also saying the same things as well as assuring him that the substitute would be completely following the lesson plans he set for him and such—something that John appreciated since he hated his classroom schedules being messed with) and then one from an unknown sender that he assumed must have been the substitute. The person was cordial, if overly formal and he began to type out that his latest lesson plan had been in his desk drawer.

Randy felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and he fished it out. Seeing a withheld number he frowned (everyone he knew had his number and none of them withheld on him considering that they were pack and his modelling agent) and then paused the game he had been playing before standing up. “I’ll be right back baby.” John was so focused on what he had been doing that he wasn’t paying attention all that much to the fact that Randy suddenly couldn’t take a call from with him in the room and merely grunted. As he left the room Randy couldn’t help but think how adorable John looked with his brow furrowed and his tongue poking out from between his lips. When he was in the empty hallway he moved into one of the unused guest-rooms and then pressed the green button on his phone, “Hello?” the voice that responded down the phone had him freezing in place, his heart copying his body’s reaction momentarily.

“Hey Randy.” Randy’s hand tightened around the phone and he heard the plastic creak underneath his hand and so forced himself to release his grip before he broke the phone in half. “Why the fuck are you calling me, Edge?” he seethed; his voice coming out in a low growl that was borderline a snarl. “I swear to God that when I find out where you are—“Edge laughed mockingly down the phone at him and Randy ground his teeth together as the blonde man interrupted him, “So, are you already that desperate to come back to me little Randy? Can’t say I blame you, but I would have thought you’d have waited for that big brute’s body to be cold in the grave before sniffing—“

“John isn’t dead.” 

The silence on the other end of the phone was so profound that Randy had thought for a moment that Edge had hung up on him. However, a sound (that sounded eerily like someone choking on thin air) emitted from Edge’s end and he knew that the elder man was there. “What did you say?” the clear shock –and, was that fear?- he heard in the nearly whispered words filled Randy with a vindictive sense of pride. “He’s alive, you fucker.” Randy hissed, rolling his neck out, “And that means you failed. Oh, and by the way, Edge—“he could vision the unattractive smirk Edge would have on his face and the way his body was tense instinctively as he finished, “-for what you tried to do to the man I love, I’m going to kill you.”

The words were said with such an unnervingly clear quality that Edge faltered in his supposedly confident retort of, “Oh yeah?” and didn’t have a chance to respond before Randy was placing the phone down on him. He had only managed to get the number through looking through Evan’s phone when the little one had been in their care, as it were, and now he was screwed. Randy had his number, and nowadays they had ways to track people through their mobile numbers. Growling softly Edge hastily scribbled down Randy’s number onto a piece of paper before shattering the phone in his hands.

~:~

Evan followed Chris downstairs, his stomach feeling hollow in a manner that had nothing to do with hunger. He had seen the rejection and hurt in Chris’ eyes and it killed him that he couldn’t bring himself to respond to the other the way he normally would. The way he wanted to. The way Chris was striving to act as though he wasn’t affected (as though nothing was wrong and all for his sake he knew) made Evan feel even worse and he blinked tears from his eyes. Shaking himself slightly, knowing –and mentally praying- that Chris wouldn’t get annoyed with him he hastened to catch up to his mate when they got down the stairs.

Chris was already in the kitchen making him a sandwich by the time he had caught up to him and Evan watched the way the man moved around. His wounds had sealed over for the main, though still looked somewhat tender, and Evan noticed the slight wince that the man would give now and again when one of his muscles made a movement that he wasn’t ready for. Usually he would be the one making the sandwiches, making sure that everything was alright… but despite all everyone had been doing to make him feel better he couldn’t help feeling like anything he touched would be… contaminated, for everyone else. Immediately Evan knew that Chris had made him his favourite tuna sandwich -with mayonnaise and onion- and he moved forward silently. Chris tensed in obvious surprise when Evan’s arms went around his waist, but he kept still and then gently relaxed into the contact. Evan was saying sorry through the action.

Evan was actually saying sorry to him even though he had nothing to be sorry for. Chris turned, Evan’s sandwich plate held in one hand, the other gently lifting his mate’s face up. Evan’s eyes were glittering with unshed tears and Chris knew that the Evan was genuinely feeling horrible about the fact that he couldn’t respond to their intimacy the way that he normally did. “It’s Ok.” Chris gave Evan a one-armed hug and dropped a kiss to the soft, dark hair before then gently easing Evan back and handing him his sandwich. “Go and have your snack Puppy.” He gently nudged the other towards the living room and watched as Evan seemed to hesitate a moment before giving him a small smile and doing as he was bid.

When Evan was out of sight Chris rested one arm on the marble countertop of the kitchen island and buried his other hand in his blonde-brown hair and sighed heavily. When a hand rested on his back he almost, almost jumped, but he’d recognise the scent anywhere even if he hadn’t smelt it for years until the previous few days. “I know it’s tough,” Christian’s quiet voice said, “But the time and effort will be worth it, I know. I know how much you love that boy and I can tell he loves you too, so… just stay strong, man, you can do it.” Christian might not seem the most elegant speaker when he was just trying to say something that was a little emotional, but to Chris he got the true meaning under the basic wording.

“It’s killing me seeing him like this, ‘Tian.” Chris murmured, shortening the other’s name in the unusual way Barrett senior had invented all those years ago, “-I know that my baby is in there but I don’t know how I can get him out. This isn’t like last time; yeah, I know what’s happened and everything, but…” something in the expression Christian was wearing made Chris forget what was bothering him momentarily and ask his friend, “Are you sure there isn’t someone you’re concerned about in some way?” his friend had always been perceptive of him and Christian supposed that he should have expected that his constant denials would alert the other that something was up. “No… yeah… no. I don’t know. Let’s just focus on the important things for now, huh?” he squeezed the other’s shoulder and smiled at him supportively.

~:~

Chris raised his eyebrows a little; Christian was being, well, cagy. Out of all of the old pack, Christian had always been the most secretive about his love life – Barrett had been married and then single for the rest of his life, Edge had been sniffing around Randy while the pack was gathered and neither man was especially faithful when they weren’t, Chris had indulged himself in the occasional one-nighter and one or two relatively short-term relationships that never got past his whole ‘secret life’ thing. Christian had occasionally vaguely intimated at having someone in his life, but never really expanded, to Chris at least. He thought that Barrett might have asked the odd question regarding the pack and just how human a partner was or was likely to remain, but if so then the answer hadn’t been one that affected the rest of them. 

But something was clearly bugging Christian, something unrelated to the pack and Chris started to wonder just how much of his following Wade’s pack had been a welcome diversion from some other problem. The threat of Wade’s pack was concrete, relationship issues tended to be free-floating and without always having a clear answer. Chris considered asking Christian straight-out what the issue was, but that wasn’t always the way to go with Christian. He’d straight-out reply that it was no one’s business but his own. And Christian was not technically a part of the pack anymore, Chris couldn’t make him talk. He would have to create the opening, but in a far more private setting than the kitchen, when they had more time. Time for anyone but Evan had been something Chris hadn’t had a lot of lately, but he was going to have to make it.

“You and I are gonna have to have a few beers later tonight, catch up properly,” he said. Christian clearly knew what he was getting at, the other pressed his lips together a moment before giving a slightly brusque nod. Chris was relieved to see it, because it did at least mean Christian would fill him in on the bare facts of the matter and he genuinely did want to help out, if he could. “We haven’t really had the chance to with everything...” Chris looked mildly apologetic. “Speaking of which, I should follow Evan.” 

Christian nodded. “Cool, beer tonight. Are you planning on Evan joining us?” 

Chris paused. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “I’ll play it by ear, see what happens.” With that, he went into the living room, seeing Evan curled in the chair where Chris usually sat with the smaller man either settled on his lap or sprawled across the couch with a book or notepad open. Familiar scents were possibly the reason for it, he knew that Evan liked to sit there when he wasn’t in the house for whatever reason. It rather hurt to see the other looking for that comfort when he was so damned close, only in the next room.

Evan started to get up, but Chris shook his head. “Stay put puppy,” he said mildly, taking a seat on the floor in front of the chair and leaning against it. Faithful companion at the feet of ones alpha and one that was more traditionally taken by Evan himself, but Chris wanted to display his own feelings toward his mate. Pack leader he might be, but one word from Evan could make him change his mind, his plans, make him do things he might never have considered otherwise just to keep the other happy. Evan had more power than the rest of the pack in that respect, including Chris himself – it was fortunate for all of them that Evan was never anything but his sweet, thoughtful self. Except for now when he had withdrawn so much and even then, he was thinking about the others more than himself. 

Chris looked up at Evan, watching the other eat. It might be his favourite snack, but Evan didn’t really seem to be tasting the food so much, merely tearing the bread apart and putting it into his mouth in bite-sized chunks. It was a habit he had when he was preoccupied and Chris rather wished he would pick up the sandwich and all but inhale it, the way he used to do only days before when he was hungry. Some people thought it might be an odd thing to want, to see ones lover removed from dainty eating, but werewolves weren’t known for their table manners and Evan’s embarrassment when he realised afterward that he’d been mildly piggish always made Chris chuckle. But he watched Evan eat every bite, that could only be a good sign, right?

As Evan rested the now-empty plate on the arm of the chair, Chris nuzzled his face against Evan’s knee. Evan looked a little startled for a moment, then reached down to run a hand through Chris’ hair. There was a faint smile on his face and Chris was certain that he could see some amusement there; it was enough to give him a little hope that Evan hadn’t been forever removed from him.

“Good dog,” teased Evan – the old joke was a familiar one between the two of them, used in their frequent playfulness. It was a side of Chris that no one else really saw, certainly not as often and to the extent that Evan did. Chris’ smile was wider than Evans’, head resting on Evan’s knee as his mate continued to stroke through his hair. For a few seconds, it was like none of the past few days had happened and the pack was scattered, safe in their own lives while he and Evan were left to their own devices. It didn’t last nearly long enough. It was hardly any time at all before Evan’s hand stilled, his smile becoming faintly apologetic and uncertain, brown eyes seeming to shadow. “Onions,” said Evan quickly. “I need to go brush my teeth.” 

The smaller man got out of the chair and made his way out of the room, walking with his hands in his pockets and his head slightly lowered – nothing like Evan’s usual movements; the man seemed to tackle even just moving from room to room with a bounce in his step, or had done. He just didn’t seem to have the spirit to do so anymore. 

Chris waited until Evan was heading up the stairs, then drew his knees up to hsi chest and leaned his head against them, sighing. He suddenly felt uncharacteristically like bursting into tears. His Evan was in there, reachable, the few moments that Evan’s guilt and shame had lifted enough to let him shine through seemed to prove it. But Chris wasn’t at all sure just how he was going to get him back for good.

~:~

“Wade~” Justin reached a hand over his shoulder to rest against Wade’s neck, really the only thing he could do to touch the other in the position they were in. Really, he wasn’t used to anyone being gentle with him at all and he certainly wasn’t used to being in a position where he couldn’t do anything to pleasure his own partner at the same time. The entire pack had known what he could do, how talented he was in that field and taken full advantage of it, Wade included. They were a progressive pack who had no need for mates, they were Wade’s pack and Justin would do anything at all to create the atmosphere Wade wanted, anything that was asked of him. He hadn’t thought much about it really, but he had always been the one doing the work in any coupling, it was all about them. Not that he didn’t enjoy himself, but Wade had been the only person who really bothered to take the time to find out what he liked. And that had been when they were very young, when such explorations had seemed harmless, before Edge had decided they were getting far too close. 

It was like that time all over again, the way Wade’s lips were against his neck, fingers pressing inside of him without any of the immediate need for gratification he had become used to from Wade. As if it was some kind of terrible transgression to give a shit about each other in any way other than as pack brothers, alpha and beta. But the way Wade was treating him then made him feel almost revered, like the centre of the other man’s universe, the way Wade had always been for him, while he told himself that was how a beta should respond to the pack leader. Something had changed Wade, the fight or the humbling reminder of his own mortality, it hardly mattered. Justin just found himself hoping that it lasted.

“God, Wade!” Justin’s voice came out ragged and the others name became a moan as Wade brushed over his prostate effortlessly. The other hand was teasing his nipples mercilessly, flitting from one to another. It had been a long time since anyone had paid this much attention to his desires and needs alone and even that last person had been Wade... Wade who was still recovering from his recent fight and everything else that had gone on.

“Let me look at you Wade,” he murmured, for a moment wondering if he’d gone too far when Wade’s hands stopped and the lips on his neck paused – one didn’t order around the alpha, certainly not in their pack, even if he had meant it to come out as a request. Justin didn’t get to negotiate what he wanted. But as Wade moved his fingers from inside him, his hand instead went to Justin’s waist to encourage the smaller man to turn to face him. Justin turned in Wade’s arms, catching the look in Wade’s eyes and catching his breath slightly as he put his hand around the back of Wade’s neck and moved in for a passionate, fearless kiss that held nothing at all back. With a quiet moan, Justin eventually broke the kiss and moved to straddle Wade, taking a very quick stock of the injuries the man had suffered through and deciding that as long as they didn’t get crazy then Wade would probably be okay – and he didn’t think he could have stopped himself at that moment; the look in Wade’s eyes telling him that the other would not have wanted him to. 

Justin held Wade’s eyes as he moved backward, wrapping a hand around Wade’s already rock-solid and weeping shaft – had he gotten that way without Justin even touching him? There was something he’d have to consider once his heart wasn’t racing so much and he wasn’t so desperate for Wade. Lowering himself onto the other, he let out a gasp as Wade filled him, hearing Wade’s heart pounding in tandem with his own. The moment he was seated to the hilt, Wade’s hands went to his hips to steady him, Justin staying completely still for a moment. It might have been the longest he had been without sex for a while, since the formation of the pack – one or the other of them was always in the mood – but a moment of adjustment was all he needed; he was just that desperate for them to be joined in the most primal way possible.

Raising himself slightly, he sank back onto Wade, gaining a moan of pleasure from the other that never failed to make Justin feel accomplished. Before he could do more, Wade’s hands ran up his sides and pulled him down, going to his hair as soon as Justin was close enough and bringing his head up for a kiss. It was Justin’s turn to moan, still moving on top of Wade although he could do little more than rock his hips – something that Wade didn’t seem to mind at all, because his own actions matched his lovers. When the need for air finally became too much, Justin ran his lips over Wade’s jaw, finding the skin exposed by Wade’s missing ear and kissing it lightly. The almost-healed bite on his shoulder was next, the barely visible scratches to the side of that. 

The wound on Wade’s chest was still bandaged and Justin knew that beneath the skin was torn still, raw and painful and even in its partially healed state would have had a human in the hospital ready for skin grafts and blood transfusions. A lump came to his throat as he thought of how close Wade had been, but he forced it away, pressing his lips to the bandage softly enough so Wade wouldn’t be harmed, trying to let the other know that those wounds were not going to put him off. 

Justin kissed Wade’s lips again briefly before using the considerable strength of his thighs to sit himself up again, moving on Wade slightly faster, his breath a series of shallow pants. Wade gripped Justin’s hips again, changing the angle Justin was at just slightly and grinning breathlessly at the cry that emerged when he did; the image of Justin throwing his head back in abandon one he was sure would stay with him always. In those moments Justin really did resemble the Angel Wade always called him, and Wade wanted only to show the other in the best way he knew how, just how much Justin’s faith and belief in him meant – how much it meant to him that Justin had not abandoned him. The others he could live without, Justin he wasn’t so sure. 

Never one to be quiet in moments like these, Justin mewled every time Wade brushed his prostate, watching the others face. He knew Wade so well, he could always tell when he was getting close to release and Wade seemed less inclined to prolong things than normal, maybe because of his weakened state or because he had no pack to prove his stamina to. Or maybe it was something else, because Justin felt incredibly close to the limit of restraint himself. Reaching down, he wrapped a hand around himself and started to stroke in time to his hips, eyes opening wide as he felt Wade’s hand link with his, helping him to his completion. Wade had never done anything like this ever to him, he was sure – but he loved it, Wade’s touch seeming to do more for his climax than his own hand alone ever could. 

He clung to the ragged edge of control until he felt Wade twitching inside him, the alphas moans suddenly getting louder and his movements becoming jerky and erratic. But teh movement of his hand over Justin’s erection only sped up and Justin couldn’t hold back another second, the combination of Wade’s hand and the feeling of his lovers release hot inside of him undoing him totally. Within seconds he was screaming Wade’s name over and over, spurting over their hands, Wade’s stomach, muscles clamping around Wade’s cock tightly as if to deny him exit. He rode Wade until he was entirely spent, noticing Wade’s flushed face and obvious satisfaction before he leaned in to kiss the other man, the action brief and breathless. What was rather more unexpected was Wade wrapping his arms around Justin, holding the smaller one close to his chest. Justin could hear Wade’s heartbeat through his chest, rapid adn healthy.

Much as he liked it right where he was, Justin knew it wasn’t a good idea to remain there. Wade however, didn’t seem to be letting him go. “Hmm, Wade,” Justin murmured, wriggling slightly. “I’m too heavy and we need to clean you up before—“

“Soon,” said Wade in a voice that brooked no argument. His large hands ran over Justin’s back and Justin wished he could see Wade’s face; he wasn’t at all sure what was happening between them of late and he was certain Wade didn’t either, but their fundamental life changes seemed to have altered things between the two of them. So far, he felt it was for the better. He lay where he was a while longer, but he was too concerned about Wade’s health to do so more than a few minutes. Reluctantly he moved again, Wade this time letting him. 

Justin ended up kneeling over Wade, examining him critically. The wounds did not seem to have been aggravated by their activities but he ought to make sure they were clean in case of infection... blood rose to his cheeks when he saw the way his cum marked Wade’s stomach. It was far from the first time but mostly it just seemed like a messy side-effect of what they did; now it seemed almost – territorial. As if he’d marked Wade as his own. 

Which was of course, not true at all, since they had never believed in life-mates and who was he to claim an alpha as his property? He gave Wade a slightly embarrassed smile. “I’d better clean you up,” he said, winking and sliding off Wade to go to the bathroom for a towel. Wade allowed Justin to clean him up, something Justin was a little saddened over, although the scent of their coupling still filled the room and he had that just-fucked feeling that always made him feel more relaxed. Well, this wasn’t quite the same feeling, the whole thing had seemed different.

As soon as he was done, he slung the towel aside and tilted his head curiously. “How do you feel?” 

“Good,” said Wade, although he sounded slightly weary, it was probably to be expected. “Cheery. Starving. I’m so hungry I could eat you, but we might have to save that for later.” This followed by a wink that had Justin wondering if he’d heard right or at least heard some innuendo that wasn’t intended. Wade had done that for him exactly once, shortly before the mockery of their closeness had begun and as far as he knew, he had never done that for anyone else at all. Wade didn’t seem to notice his surprise, or at least pretended he didn’t. “How about we call up for room service? Or better, go for a burger or something.”

“I don’t know Wade,” said Justin immediately. “You’re supposed to be recovering and we can get food up here easily enough.” A grin suddenly lit his face. “Also you look rather, uh, debauched.”

Wade looked amused. “I can comb my hair and we’re doing McDonalds, not the Ritz. I don’t...”

Wade stopped speaking suddenly, raising his head and stilling in a way that spoke of his wariness. Justin froze beside him, scenting the air. There was one of them somewhere close, somewhere in the hotel and getting closer. It was momentarily difficult to isolate the scent while the room hung heavy with the odour of their combined sweat and release, but even so it took Justin only a second to recognise it. 

Edge. 

Wade looked around and snatched a pair of sweatpants, dragging them on. Justin took the hint and found his own jeans from his travels outside the previous night, pulling them up and fastening them as fast as he could. Edge hadn’t been around once the dust had settled and that he was returning now – well, Justin had a bad feeling. Wade hadn’t always been able to see through Edge and right then, the young man wanted no reason for the old hostilities, the old ways, to be taken up again. He had been happy with it just the two of them, was it going to be a resurgence of that same bullshit all over again?

Wade didn’t bother with a shirt to hide his wounds, merely strode over to the door to teh room and pulled it open. Edge stood in front of it, looking a little surprised although Justin didn’t see why, Wade hadn’t bothered to be especially quiet. Justin stayed back, moving slightly closer to Wade but not wanting to crowd the man. When it came to pack business, it was Wade who ran the show and Justin had no right to interfere and very little say. He would go along with whatever Wade wanted of course... but there was a leaden worry that what Wade would want might be whatever Edge led him to believe he should want. 

“Hi Wade,” said Edge, glancing at Justin a moment and then dismissing him, knowing that it was Edge he would have to deal with and not the South African. “Sorry it took me a while to get back. But I knew you were in good hands and well, I had some shit to sort out once you’d been taken away.”

“Some shit?” asked Wade, his voice neutral.

“Couldn’t let them get away with that,” said Edge, a slightly nasty tenor to his voice. “So I made them pay. Thought after that, they might come after me, so I stayed away a couple days while you recovered, just in case they did – let’s just say, their little pack didn’t get away with what they did.” His eyes narrowed as he scented the air. “Where’s the others?” he asked, although he knew full well that they had long gone, he didn’t want Wade to realise that.

“Jeff and Matt headed off, they wanted no part of it anymore. Punk never made it back.” Wade sounded slightly uncertain to be greeted by Edge in this fashion and Justin bit his lip. If Edge managed to get Wade to believe him, then the next order of business would be to continue their vendetta against Chris’ pack. Justin was sure of it, just as he was sure that they might not get off as lightly the next time.

Edge shrugged, stepping forward. Wade took a few steps back rather than move aside to let him past, just enough so that Edge could get inside and close the door. The blonde entered, pasting a rather jovial smile on his face. “Well, Punk was unreliable anyway and a killjoy to boot, and Matt and Jeff were hardly assets. We can live without ‘em. What the three of us need to do now is regroup, come up with a new plan while their pack is weakened...”

“No.”

Wade’s voice was very calm and matter-of-fact. Edge stopped, looking like he didn’t know how to respond and Justin’s head shot up to stare at his alpha. His shoulders had been starting to slump as Edge carried on as if nothing had changed, the whole thing was some minor setback and he had rather expected Wade to go along with it, as some way to save face. But Wade was the alpha and Justin knew he had meant the things he had been saying since his fight; he should have known that the man would rather stand up to Edge and lay down the law than change his mind. In that moment, Justin was more proud and more admittedly in love with Wade than he could ever remember being.

The smile started back on Edge’s face, but more uncertainly this time. “I know you’re not a kid anymore and I didn’t mean to be barking orders at you but I really think this is what we should be doing. Haven’t I always steered you right before?”

“No,” said Wade slowly. “I don’t believe you have. And no, that’s not what we’re gonna do.”

“Oh?” Edge stopped looking amused. “And what’s the plan then, Fearless Leader?”

Wade ignored the jibe. “We’re gonna leave things alone.”

“Wait a minute.” Edge held both his hands up in front of him to stop Wade from talking any more. “I thought Chris bit off your ear, but I guess I missed something because he seems to have taken your balls too. He’s leading what should be YOUR pack and you need to take it back—“

“I don’t need to do anything!” Wade snapped back, clearly beginning to anger in spite of his attempts to keep calm. “The pack? They wouldn’t have accepted us and they would have taken off. Maybe it should have been my pack, but it isn’t and it’s just tough titty. It wasn’t even a fair fight and I still didn’t win. Going back for more now wouldn’t do any of us any favours. It sure as shit isn’t gonna prove to Randy that he backed the wrong man when he stayed instead of left with you.”

Edge bristled at the comment. “So, what, you’re just gonna quit? Roll on your back and show your belly to the world so you can have your guts ripped out? I didn’t raise you to be a chickenshit Wade!”

“You didn’t do much of a job raising either of us, full stop,” retorted Wade. “We’re not going after them Edge. That’s the end of it.”

“But the pack can—“

“The pack is history!” Wade roared, shutting Edge up completely. “There’s three of us left and two of us don’t want further retaliation. There is no pack when it comes to this. You want revenge? You’re on your own.”

Edge glanced away from Wade’s icy glare to Justin, hoping to find backup and getting none. Justin’s eyes were wide, barely seeing Edge. His entire focus was on Wade; he had never, ever seen the other showing his dominance as alpha in such a manner – and over Edge, who had acted as alpha in Wade’s stead for years and did not have the same level of subservience that others did. 

“You’re planning to just stay in the hotel licking your wounds forevermore?” asked Edge, his tone petulant.

Wade shook his head. “Justin and me are gonna stop moving from place to place for a while, consider our options. Something we’ve never had before, since it’s always been about Chris’ pack. We’ve never considered anything else, but now we’re going to.”

“Oh, stop before I puke.” Edge’s voice took on an ugly, sarcastic tone. “You’re a werewolf. You think you two can go to night school, become plumbers? Forget it. You’re beaten, so you’re hiding. Scared. I always knew you were weak.”

“Changing your perspective is not a weakness—“ 

“Weak,” continued Edge relentlessly. “Afraid of being beaten again. Just a whipped dog, that’s all you are...”

“Shut up.” 

Justin took a sharp intake of breath. When Edge had goaded them in the past, usually in just such a manner, Wade would try to justify himself or tell Edge that he was wrong and then set out to prove it, but he had never silenced the other at all. He didn’t know how the older man would take it. 

But Wade didn’t falter. “The pack is dissolved. My pack, the one that called me alpha, is over. If the four of you come to the door tomorrow and ask for leadership, you’ll be turned away. I’m finished with playing King Shit of Turd Mountain, leave and find some other way to get your payback that doesn’t include us.”

“Us?” Edge’s eyes went to Justin and a sneer lit his face. “I knew it all along. After everything I taught you about how the old laws were there to tie us down and make us crazy, you still went and decided yourself a mate. A mate is a weakness – but you always were weak.” He glared at Justin, dismissing Wade for a moment as he took a step toward the youngest. “A distraction from doing what he should have done, that’s all you ever were Gabriel. I should have killed you back then—“

Edge got no closer; Wade’s hand shot around his throat and in spite of the man’s injuries, he lifted Edge a good three inches from his feet, seemingly without effort. Edge dangled a moment, hands trying to break Wade’s chokehold, and then he was slammed back against the wall, hard enough for him to groan in pain. 

“Never, ever threaten him again Edge,” said Wade in a low, dangerous voice. “I mean it. One more word from you, ever, and I’ll tear your head from your shoulders.”

He stared Edge in the eye a moment and abruptly released the man, allowing him to fall to one knee on the floor. Edge took several deep breaths, his hands going to his neck and covering the reddened flesh, staring up at Wade disbelievingly.

“Leave,” said Wade. “That’s the only warning you’re getting, so I’d make the most of it.”

Edge remained still for a few moments, then jumped to his feet, giving the alpha a look filled with hatred before rushing out of the door. Wade closed it behind him, resting his forehead against it a moment and closing his eyes. It had been harder than he’d shown, standing up to the man who had all but raised both of them and taught them all they thought they needed to know – but for both their sakes, he had to do what he had. Edge was going to get them killed and Wade wanted no part of it. He certainly didn’t want Justin anywhere near that situation. 

A moment later, he felt a hand on his shoulder, another snaking around his waist to rest on his stomach. Justin pressed a kiss to his back, his body flush against Wade’s. Wade accepted the comfort without words; it was Justin who spoke first. “You were the exact opposite of weak there,” he murmured, lips brushing Wade’s skin as they moved. “The way you stood up to him – you’re the strongest person I know.” He stopped short of saying he was proud, still feeling that he had no right to actually utter the words, but Wade understood the clear meaning in his voice.

Wade turned in Justin’s arms, resting a hand against the man’s face as he studied the well-known features of the other. His Angel – and Edge had threatened him.

Pressing a quick, chaste kiss to Justin’s lips, he straightened himself, focusing on the next thing at hand. “Come on Angel, let’s pack our stuff. We can’t stay here anymore.”

Justin blinked a couple of times, taking in what Wade had said and immediately starting to protest. “Wade, we can’t just leave! You’re much better but you should be resting up more, you’re not fully recovered yet...”

“We can’t stay.” Wade spoke gently but authoritatively. “Edge is a vindictive bastard, you know that better than most. Look at all the effort he’s put into going after Chris after all these years, how much planning he put into getting his own back – we turned our backs on him and he won’t let that slide after all the years he put into us. And he threatened you directly – like you said Angel, I’m still not a hundred per cent. I might not be able to protect you.”

Justin had seen the look in Wade’s eyes before, although not in his alpha – in another man, whose mate they had taken from him; fear, fury and determination. Wade wasn’t going to let anything happen to him, but nor was he really able to travel a long distance with no destination in mind, not the way he was then. “A few towns over then. But that’s as far as we can risk. Wade,” he continued when the other tried to interrupt, something he would never have dreamed of doing before. “We have to travel a few hours even for that and find somewhere to stay. And don’t try to tell me you’re not tired,” he added, knowing that when a werewolf was badly hurt, the healing process could wear them out. 

He knew that Wade wanted to go further but knew what Justin was saying was smart. They grabbed a few changes of clothes, leaving behind a lot of stuff – teh entire pack had left in a hurry and Punk’s clothes lay alongside Edge’s, Jeff’s fishnet tops mixed with Matt’s overly tight black t-shirts. Those they left, they would hardly be needing them. It had never occurred to them before to tidy after themselves before and nor did it then, merely leaving the room behind them in a horrible mess that three maids would later threaten to quit over. 

Justin drove, swapping the car for another one barely ten miles from the hotel – Wade was paranoid about them being followed and Justin was happy to oblige him; it wasn’t hard to steal a car when ripping off locks and dashboards took no effort at all. Wade kept a look-out for tails, more naturally suspicious than Justin was. Justin headed east, driving with no destination in mind, merely wanting to put as much distance between the last hotel and them as he could in the shortest time possible, so he and Wade could stop for a while. In the end, he stopped in a relatively large town where he hoped they could lose themselves in the crowd if need be, picking a clean but less prosperous holiday flat than they might otherwise had been used to. As soon as Wade was in the room, he took the car again and left it in the car park of a busy supermarket, walking back to the apartment and stopping for supplies at a corner shop. From now on, he thought it best if they kept as low a profile as possible. 

Justin’s walk from the car park back to the flat and a slightly anxious Wade was uneventful, although he watched out for trouble and tried to glean any scent of others of their kind. Nothing, although technically they were still in Chris’ territory there didn’t seem to be any more werewolves around where they were. It didn’t surprise him, since they were a rare species and it wasn’t usual to run into one another by chance often, although it gave him a measure of relief. He would have been a lot less relieved had he known that a few weeks previously, he might well have smelled at least one scent that he recognised; Cody, going about his everyday business blissfully unaware of anything to do with packs, mates and others of their kind, except for himself and his absent boyfriend. The supermarket was the one he used to fill up on everyday items for himself and Drew. And Drew himself was less than three miles away, yet to leave his own apartment since starting to learn of his new abilities under his alpha.


	21. Chapter Twenty: Please Be An April Fool's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cody and Evan have a moment of affirmation together, John senses that something is wrong, Punk considers his new standing and Chris discovers that Christian has both a lover and an... Unusual source of information in his life.

As it turned out, Evan wasn’t around when Chris and Christian decided to retire to the living room and shoot the shit; the smaller man had stuck to his mate the whole day on his return from the bathroom (half an hour later and smelling of toothpaste and mouthwash, Chris was tempted to throw away every instrument of oral hygene in the house if he didn’t know damn well why Evan was doing what he was). After a slightly subdued evening meal, which John insisted on turning up to and everyone tried too hard to make cheery, Chris and Evan headed not to the kitchen, where they would usually make drinks and talk about anything that came to mind, but to the living room themselves to watch a film. It had barely finished when Cody put his head around the door, a smile on his face and a determined look in his eyes. 

 

“John’s sleeping,” he said without preamble. “And snoring. I guess he’s not as ready to be up and about as he thought. Randy’s still got the X-Box and him and Ted are having some kind of Grand Theft Auto marathon...” He wrinkled his nose to show just how much this didn’t appeal, although in truth he enjoyed the game well enough and would have been happy to join in had the situation been different. And Randy had been acting odd for much of the day, preoccupied and snappy. Ted seemed better able to handle him in that mood, probably years of experience. Had he known that Randy was actually turning ideas over in his mind, or about the call he had got earlier that day, he would have been a lot more alarmed and would have told Chris right away. But he assumed it was to do with John’s injury and his own frustration that had caused the man’s odd mood and thought Chris had enough on his plate. It was something he’d come to regret as time went on.

“And you said that the next time I was here, you’d show me your library.” Cody put on the most appealing look in his arsenal, the one that never failed to get Ted to agree to anything he wanted. “I’ve never been in a house with an actual library before. Do you mind?”

Chris was rather surprised, but at the same time quite touched. Cody was the newest addition to the pack and had the least reason to care what happened to Evan and yet the two of them had hit it off right away and Cody seemed to genuinely want to help. Maybe it was best if Evan really did spend some time with someone other than his mate. Evan looked a little worried by the suggestion, looking to Chris as to a suggestion as to what his next move was. Chris was pained at thinking Evan was so shaken up he needed reassurance even before going to another part of the house, but Chris wasn’t about to force him. “Up to you Puppy,” he said in a voice too quiet for Cody to overhear. He knew Evan hadn’t even thought about writing or even reading since his ordeal, it was too raw to be able to escape from even that way for a while. 

Evan paused, pressing himself closer to Chris for a moment and then abruptly stood up, although Chris wondered if it were more to do with his perceived duties as host than a real desire to leave. “It’s this way,” he said, shooting Chris a slightly anxious look before showing Cody from the room. Chris watched them go, a small frown creasing his forehead. Any other time, Evan would have been more than delighted to show Cody the room and if Cody could keep up his interest long enough, would have kept him there for hours telling him about the place and letting the conversation go where ever his mind took him. This time, Chris didn’t think Evan would want to be gone long. 

About ten minutes later, Christian let himself into the room. “I was gonna get here earlier, but I was on the phone,” he said, something that Chris took notice of but didn’t comment on right away. “Still on for beers?”

“I’ll go get them.” Chris grinned at the other, doing a theatrical sweep with his arm that lacked real good humour. “Make yourself comfortable.” He went to the kitchen, went to get a couple of bottles and then just grabbed an entire six-pack. It would save them getting up every two minutes, for beers at least. 

“Where’s Evan ?” asked Christian when Chris went back and handed him a beer. 

“He’s showing Cody around the library,” replied Chris, taking the cap from his beer. “Cody’s only been a part of the pack since the last full moon and he’s not exactly had much of a chance to look around the place. He asked Evan to show him the library and Ev was okay with that...” He looked at Christian openly. “That’s a good sign, right?”

Christian nodded, but slowly. “I think so. He hasn’t lost trust in the other members of the pack at least and that’s one good thing.” He took in Chris’ somewhat tensed muscles and tired expression and decided that he needed to put what had happened to Evan aside for a short while and focus again on something positive. “Evan wasn’t a werewolf when he met you, was he?” he asked and Chris shook his head, a somewhat amused look in his eye at the remembrance. Christian raised his eyebrows. “How did he take that?” 

“The first time I ever told Evan what we were.” Chris took a swig of his beer, a slight smile coming over his face. “Oh yeah, I remember that like it was yesterday. Evan had been living here with me a few months by then and he had to have noticed something – I’d drive him off to a hotel during full moon, that’s odd enough I know. But I couldn’t think what else to do, I had the pack to think about too, so that’s what I did. And there’s enough other clues for anyone who looks hard enough at them and doesn’t rule out what seems impossible. But I knew I’d have to tell him in the end, we were mates after all. I knew it, although I didn’t say that to Evan, I didn’t wanna freak him out or make him think I was crazy or – or scare him off I suppose. But I wasn’t sure how he’d take it. I didn’t think he’d run from me, but I couldn’t be sure.”

His long fingers played with the neck of the bottle. “So. I sat him down one day about a week before full moon, in the kitchen because I thought it’d sound less crazy where things were most normal. I reached out for his hand and said that there was something I was keeping from him, I was sorry that I had but I hadn’t known how to tell him and he’d get why when I finally spat it out. I was dancing around it, y’know? In the end, I skirted up to the truth by saying I didn’t always look like a man. And Evan strokes my hand, looks in my eyes and says, “Chris, if you like to dress up as a girl sometimes, that’s okay by me.”

Christian had been taking a sip of his drink and choked on the mouthful, managing to swallow before breaking into helpless laughter. Chris grinned ruefully. “Yeah, that was my reaction, bar the sniggers. He was taking the piss out of me, of course. He’d kinda guessed and he didn’t think it could be true but wasn’t seeing the other explanation. So he wasn’t overly surprised when I finally came out with it. Of course, I had to show him before he really believed it.”

“Yeah, they never believe you until you do the transformation,” said Christian, his chuckles tapering off. “At least, most people don’t.”

Chris gave Christian a look that was friendly on top, concerned and slightly watchful beneath. “Who believed you?”

Christian shrugged. “Um... it’s complicated. As in, really, really complicated. I know this guy, I met him chasing a bounty about four years ago. And no, he wasn’t the bounty. I was asking him some questions about where I might find the guy I was looking for, I knew he’d been around but he took off in a car and you know we can’ t track those. This guy’s a biker, he listened to me do my whole tough-guy song and dance about finding this dude I was chasing and as soon as I was finished, he looks me up and down real slowly and say’s, ‘Why don’t you hunt him? You’re the werewolf, I thought that’s what you were supposed to do.’ I didn’t know what the hell to say and I knew damn well he wasn’t one of us. Not sure what he is actually. I don’t see him for months on end and then suddenly he turns up with some cryptic information, guns the bike and leaves before I can do more than ask a couple of questions I get no answer to.”

He paused, starting to worry the label from the bottle. “Actually – I was watching Wade’s place but I had no idea they were going, if I’m honest. He showed up out of the blue as usual, told me the pack was leaving. I don’t know how he knew about them, or that I’d been watching them and needed to know their actions. I asked him where they were headed and he gives me a look through the shades and says, ‘You already know,’ before he rides away. I was only stopping to get a pizza and when I came out, there he was.”

Chris stared at him. “That’s – weird. Very weird. Should we be worried?”

“I don’t think so.” Christian took a drink, then looked up at Chris. “He seems benign. But weird, you’re right.”

“What does he look like?”

“He’s just a typical biker, long hair, tattoos, bandana. He’s always on the bike when I see him, but he’s tall, I can tell that much. It’s a Harley.”

“Isn’t it always?” asked Chris dryly. “Why does he give you this information?”

“I don’t know. Because of my hot body?”

Chris chuckled. “Speaking of your hot body, please tell me you’re not the last one of us to settle down. Because if that’s the case, I owe you ten dollars.”

“You always were a tight bastard when it came to bets,” joked Christian, Chris had always been anything but stingy with cash. “But you owe me. No mate.” He hesitated. “I have a sort-of boyfriend, but that’s complicated too. Not one of you would like him even slightly, he’s very uh, arrogant. As in he puts you to shame. Old money, trust fund, very much the jet-set lifestyle. He’s not that bad underneath it all, but sometimes I wonder.” He shrugged. “He calls me his little Chihuahua because he thinks I act like a pet dog sometimes. One time I told him I was a werewolf, dead-pan, like it was a joke – he tried to send me to the most expensive shrink in the state. I blew, told the shrink it was a damn joke and he was over-reacting and he wouldn’t talk to me for a week. Said he’d been worried about me and that was the reason he did it.”

Chris tilted his head. “Doesn’t sound like he’s really the guy you want to be with.”

“It’s not as bad as it sounds, I’m just bitching.” Christian took a swig of beer and tried for a reassuring smile. “Honestly, he cares but he’s really no good at all at showing it.”

~:~

Evan led Cody into the library and even though Cody had really just been intending to have Evan show him so that he could clear the other’s mind somehow he couldn’t help being awed by the library; it was like one of those old-fashioned libraries right out of a period-drama or old novel, all cherry panelling and comfortable armchairs, hell, it even had a fireplace with a fur rug before it. “Oh my…” Cody breathed softly, looking around. A small smile touched Evan’s lips at the small exclamation; he could understand Cody’s awe because he had felt the same when he had first seen the library. It was strange because although the library was very old-fashioned it seemed to fit despite the fact that the rest of the house was actually rather modern and quite up-to-date in its way.

“Chris had this room installed especially for me.” Evan said softly, beginning to show Cody around the circular room filled with books and the well maintained furniture. Cody’s head whipped around so fast on reflex that an ordinary human would probably have given themselves whiplash or something. “Chris had this room made for you?” he repeated, wondering whether he had misheard. Evan nodded slightly, his fingers trailing over one of the squashy velvet armchairs of the main reading area. “This used to be a study, but he knocked through into the next two small studies and had architects come up with this—“he indicated the library with a wave of his hand. “—which he modelled on something I’d told him once about old libraries that I’d read about in old novels like Charles Dickens’ books and such.” He was clearly lost in his own memories, Cody seeing the small ways Evan’s eyes would light up as he thought about Chris, the way his lips would curl into that small, secretive smile, “It was a present for the first birthday I’d had within this house.” He tilted his head, obviously contemplating something before he gave a slightly disbelieving laugh and then shook his head slightly, “I think I’d been living here less than six months beforehand.”

“Wow…” Cody whistled slightly, “Chris really doesn’t do things by half, does he?” it was only when he noticed that Evan had gone still that something was wrong, and immediately he hastened to the younger. “Evan?” the man dropped to his knees on the softly carpeted floor, hands covering his face. “He’s always so good to me… so good to me…” the little ravenette’s shoulders were shaking and although Cody wasn’t sure Evan would appreciate being touched right then it was all he could think to do to offer the other comfort, he wrapped his arms around the smaller. Evan froze in his arms momentarily before then wrapping his arms around Cody’s waist and holding his newest friend back as he sobbed onto his shoulder. Cody’s heart broke for the smaller man once more, letting him cry and mumble muffled words into his shoulder. “I don’t know how he can stand to be around me anymore… I don’t know how.” He said and Cody’s arms tightened around the other a little at the clear self-blame in Evan’s voice, “He forgave me once, even though someone like me doesn’t deserve it, but how can he even stand to look at me again…?” gently, but firmly, Cody pushed Evan back to make the smaller man look at him, the pair of them kneeling before one another in the middle of the floor.

“You have no need to blame this upon yourself,” he said, hands remaining on Evan’s shoulders and the younger man’s hands resting on his arms as though he was going to push them away but not actually doing so. “—none of this way your fault by any stretch of the imagination.” Evan shook his head and hiccupped softly, tears still trickling down his cheeks and his voice jumping slightly as his chest shuddered with awkward breaths, “I disobeyed him and then they took advantage of me. It was my own fault for being so gullible in the first place.” Cody shook his head, hoping that he would be able to soothe Evan’s fears a little bit at least even though Chris was probably the only one who could really make some headway over such things. “How would you know? Justin could have genuinely been someone in need, could have genuinely needed someone to reach out a hand to them… don’t let a one-off ruin things for you. Chris doesn’t hate you, and Chris doesn’t blame you. None of us do.” He added on firmly, assured in that.

Evan’s head bowed momentarily before he looked up to Cody, some of the light hopefulness that Cody had seen in Evan’s face even the first time they had met what seemed like an age ago now. “R-Really?” he was whispering and for an absurd moment Cody thought that that was because they were in the library—but then realised that it was probably because he couldn’t bring himself to speak any louder right then. “Yes.” Cody soothed softly, “I mean it.” He looked to the door and then back to Evan, feeling something like sibling affection; he felt like an older brother reassuring a younger, felt the camerdie that he had never really managed to get considering that no one had ever mentioned anymore family to him after his parents had passed in the accident. “Chris is so scared he’s going to lose you, Evan.” Evan looked shocked at that, as though the thought had never crossed his mind, and Cody progressed, knowing that he had Evan’s attention. Whether this would affect how the other had been acting afterwards he didn’t know, but he would at least know that he had done something to help the people who had had him reuniting with his Teddy, the people who he had already come to consider the family that he had never had. Soon, Evan was back in his arms again and Cody held his friend until he managed to calm himself down.

~:~

Chris didn’t look reassured and Christian supposed that he should have seen that coming; Chris had always been like a brother to him and out of everyone in their pack they had been much more brotherly as opposed to sexually involved… not to say that they hadn’t once or twice, but that was in the past and all water under the bridge; situations that they regarded with a fond nostalgia but that meant little to them overall. “So… who is this guy?” he asked, and Christian actually reddened some more in the cheeks before pulling his mobile out of his pocket and going into his photos. Selecting a picture of a tanned, Mexican man dressed in a suit that screamed expensive, he then held the phone out to Chris. Accepting it, Chris’ brow arched when he took in the man who was apparently Christian’s lover. “Spanish?” he asked and Christian shrugged, “Mexican.” That would explain the Chihuahua comment, Chris thought, though –as demonstrated through the shrink incident- he didn’t realise how such pet-names may affect Christian.

“Well…” Chris chose his words carefully because even if Christian was maintaining that this man was not his mate (and the fact that he considered the situation complicated might be indication enough that he himself hadn’t realised just how much he felt for the man) he would probably get offended if Chris said something blatantly horrible towards him. “—he’s not too bad on the eyes. What’s with the scarf thing?” Christian looked equal parts amused and exasperated at the question and said, “It’s like his trademark. I told you he was arrogant and he isn’t afraid to show his wealth off.” Chris frowned a little at that and Christian smiled around the rim of his beer-bottle; Chris might be a very rich man but he was so down to earth that unless you saw his home and car you wouldn’t think that he was any richer than the Average-Joe. “Yeah… but, well, he has his moments where he’s not too bad. And, well, he donates to charities and stuff.” Ok, he had no idea why he was trying so hard to sell Alberto to his friend, but he just truly felt that he had to.

“I don’t recognise him,” Chris admitted, handing Christian’s phone back to him, “-what’s his name?” Christian cleared his throat softly and took a moment to respond as past experiences had taught him that more people seemed aware of Alberto more than he had expected that they would be. “Alberto. Alberto Del Rio.” He said. He didn’t know whether he was relieved or annoyed when his best-friend’s expression didn’t change. “So… how long have you been with him?” Chris asked, taking a drink from his own beer. Christian had the sudden surreal feeling of being a teenager and explaining his first boyfriend to their father; even though Alberto was not his first boyfriend and Chris sure as hell wasn’t his father. “On and off we’ve been together about a year.” He admitted. Despite the way his job took him around so much and how often he and Alberto were at loggerheads about things (Alberto would rather Christian gave up the bounty-hunter life and moved into Alberto’s ridiculously expensive mansion and allowed himself to be spoilt and pampered; a lifestyle that may appeal to some but not at all to Christian) he was the man who Christian had been with the longest in his entire life since he had begun actively dating people. “A year?” Even Chris sounded surprised and Christian didn’t take offence to it; unless the person was their mate they weren’t well-known for being able to settle down for too long and suchlike, and it did pretty-much sound like Christian should have claimed Alberto for his own. There was some part of him that was afraid to make that commitment though and that was also one of the reasons he refused Alberto’s offers (well, commands) that Christian move in with him and expensive gifts and such.

Well, despite his obviously open personality flaws, Alberto had his good moments now and again, but also… he was rather good in bed and Christian couldn’t resist it when the man started speaking Spanish to him in that tone that never failed to make his mind feel like it was melting out of his ears. Ok, so sex wasn’t the best way to function in a relationship but it sure as hell didn’t hurt. Not that he was about to start going into explicit conversations with Chris about sex or anything. Before anymore could be said though Christian’s phone began to ring. His eyes widened slightly and he dipped his head back before then sighing. “Speak of the devil and he shall ring thy phone.” He muttered, Chris looking both amused and concerned over his reaction. Excusing himself he headed outside, wondering what had prevented Alberto for calling him several times a day like he was wont to do. The possessiveness irritated Christian somewhat, though deep down he couldn’t deny that it spoke to a part of him that Alberto didn’t even know existed. Closing the backdoor behind him he then walked away from the house a little bit before answering the call.

A fluid cooing of Spanish sounded in his ear, before the man on the other end of the line spoke in English. “Christian, my little Chihuahua, where are you?” Christian felt his lips compressing slightly into a thin line at the name even though his cheeks reddened. “I’m working, Alberto. What do you want?” he could tell his abrupt manner annoyed the fuck out of Alberto sometimes—but something also told him that it was the reason why Alberto pursued him so hard; he liked the fact that Christian presented a challenge and wouldn’t bend over backwards to accommodate him, wouldn’t accept all of the lavish presents that he tried to throw at Christian, and he couldn’t help but feel inclined towards the mystery that surrounded the blonde. “Oh, Christian, it sounds like you’re not happy to hear from me…” Alberto’s tone was somewhat patronising and Christian could just imagine the pout he would be sporting, “Don’t you miss me?” the following Spanish momentarily rendered Christian incapable of speech (who would have thought a foreign language could affect a person so badly?) before he then shook himself and scuffed at the dirt ground with his foot before responding casually, “Well, I suppose you do have some uses.” Once again there was silence on the end of the line and Christian felt a small triumph over the fact that he had once again rendered Alberto speechless. They danced this dance every time, and every time it would end the same way: in an expensive silk sheeted, goose-down pillowed bed the next time Christian was in the state Alberto’s manor resided in.

“And what uses would those be?” Christian knew that Alberto was looking for some ego stroking and occasionally he was indulge him only because he enjoyed cutting him down, but right then he was more interested in going back inside and just spending time with his friend. “Alberto, if there’s not any real reason why you’re calling me can I call you back some other time?” immediately he could all but sense the suspicion from his sort-of-boyfriend and he rolled his eyes before the question from the other had even been asked, “What exactly are you doing, Christian?” Ooh, Alberto was jealous: he never used Christian’s given name as opposed to his hilarious nickname if he could help it. “I told you, Alberto, I’m working.” He enunciated slowly. Well, it wasn’t totally a lie and it wasn’t as though he was Alberto’s property or anything anyway. “Working with who--?” as soon as the barrage of questions seemed to be looming on the horizon Christian said loudly, “Ok Alberto, well I’ll see you soon, later!” and even as the millionaire began fuming down the other end of the phone he ended the call, amused and frustrated and, weirdly, finding himself missing the arrogant bastard. One thing he didn’t miss though? Alberto’s little creepy stalker butler/personal assistant, Ricardo Rodriguez. Urgh, he couldn’t stand him; the little creep had a serious boner for Alberto and was constantly bitching at him in Spanish whenever Alberto wasn’t around to hear him. Christian took a somewhat childish delight in pissing him off admittedly.

Shoving his phone back into his pocket he sighed heavily and stretched his lithe form out slowly; he wasn’t in as brilliant a mood as he could have been, but he wasn’t in a bad mood either. There was even a small smile working over Christian’s lips as he made his way back into the house. Chris was still in the living-room where he had left him and where it not for the fact that his friend had a fresh beer in his hand and was sitting slightly more to the left of where he had been Christian would have thought that the other hadn’t moved the whole time he had been outside. Arching a brow slightly and regarding his friend with an almost adolescent suspicion he asked, “Were you standing at the window so you could hear me speaking?” Chris gave the other a perfect rendition of his innocent ‘who, me?’ look, but Christian wasn’t fooled in the slightest as he returned to his own seat besides the other and picked up his previously abandoned beer. Taking a swig of it he then turned to Chris and sighed expectantly, “So… how much did you hear?”

“Enough to make me wanna go find this guy and give him a ‘brotherly chat’ about how he’s supposed to treat you.” He then quirked a slight smile and saluted his friend with his beer, “But I suppose being the big bad bounty hunter—“Christian flipped his friend off, knowing that the other was only teasing as opposed to genuinely taking the piss out of his unorthodox profession, “—that you are, you won’t appreciate such a thing.” Christian appreciated his friend’s sentiment, he really did, but it was essentially unnecessary. “It’s not as though he could do much damage to me Chris, regardless of whatever happens between us.” Or didn’t, he added to himself. Chris took a breath and sighed, looking to the ceiling. He had the feeling that something wasn’t quite right with Evan but he didn’t want to go up and intrude because he didn’t want to seem too clingy to his mate after all. “So… what about this other guy?” he asked and Christian blew out a breath before running a hand through his hair and shrugging, “Your guess is as good as mine, Chris. I mean… I’m not completely enamoured with him the way you are with your boy or those of your pack are with their own,” admittedly he felt more for Alberto than he did the biker stranger, “But… there’s just something about him, you know?” Chris reached and gave his friend’s knee a squeeze, looking into the other Canadian’s eyes before saying seriously, “Just mind yourself, alright?” situations could escalate beyond their control sometimes, you know?

“Yes, dad.” Christian teased lightly though Chris could see in the other’s eyes that he appreciated what he was saying to him. “I will do. Besides: chances are I won’t even see this guy again and it was just a series of very strange coincidences—“he was cut off suddenly when he registered two presences in the doorway. As soon as he saw that Chris’ mate was one of them, and that it appeared he had been crying, he stood to prepare himself to prevent Chris from freaking out over… whatever it was that had upset the smaller man now. Before Chris could stand up and move to Evan though Evan was moving to him; crawling into Chris’ lap and wrapping his arms around his mate’s shoulders as he pressed his face into his neck and merely remained there. Startled, undeniably startled, Chris didn’t react for a moment before he wrapped his arms around his mate’s waist. Evan hadn’t sought such contact with him unless they were curled in bed together and the other needed his presence to sleep. Right then though it seemed he needed comfort, but also that he needed Chris’ presence… and Chris could tell that in the way that his mate was gently nuzzling his neck. Looking to Cody, clearly wanting an explanation for the slight change-in-heart from Evan and Cody merely smiled before placing a finger to his lips and then turning and heading back out of the room. Christian grinned slightly; that kid had done good.

Figuring that his friend could do with some alone time with his mate Christian made to stand—but was almost immediately ushered back into his seat by his friend as Chris turned the TV back up a little and continued to hold Evan. There was still some tension within the young man but it was definitely a positive sign that Evan had come to seek out Chris and not the other way around; especially from what Chris had been telling him earlier about Evan’s subconscious dream terrors and from his OCD tendencies concerning oral hygiene. The younger man would hopefully pull through if he kept making progress—sure and steady was better than nothing, after all. Running his hand through his hair once more Christian settled back on the settee and sighed gently, closing his eyes momentarily and just listening to the absent sounds of the new hockey game on the TV and of Chris’ quiet murmurs to his mate. One day he wouldn’t deny he would like to have something like that, but he was no young man anymore and he wasn’t sure whether he could cope with all the pressure the way that Chris and his pack had done with regards to the strain culminating from a human/wolf relationship.

Cody meanwhile had reached Randy and John’s bedroom, but found that Ted was just leaving as he headed towards it. Blinking in surprise (but delighted when he was kissed) Cody asked, “Are you and Randy finished?” Ted looked a cross between amused and concerned as he nodded before wrapping his arm around Cody’s waist and beginning to steer him back towards their room. “Yeah—we’ve decided to stop playing seeing as how Randy’s weird mood is making him act all tense and whenever he loses he’s coming closer and closer to throwing the controller through the TV set… and we both know that Evan would probably castrate the pair of us if we broke his precious games system so we decided that that was probably for the best.” Cody, naturally, assumed that John’s condition was what was causing Randy bother, though it was odd given that the other had seemed somewhat better about everything seeing as how John was out of the proverbial woods now.

Inside of his and John’s room Randy neatly set the controller atop the now turned off console and switched the TV off in turn. John had been nodding between sleep and wakefulness throughout the day (and Randy assumed that that had to have something to do with the pain he was experiencing) and currently he was beginning to wake again. He had been laid in a semi-foetal position and Randy gently rolled him onto his back so that he could change the dressing that Christian had placed over his wound in the hopes that any extra infections or whatever would be prevented being that the sensitive wound was covered up. John growled softly in pain and Randy gently nuzzled his mate’s chest over where his heart was as an apology for the discomfort of the bandages pulling on John’s flesh. Although the wound was far from healed Randy was delighted to find that the colouring was looking slightly less sickly now, a healthy fleshy red returning to it. Now, that might be a strange thing to be happy about, but at least it seemed to be healing. Once the wound was cleaned he then began to redress it. Before he could get started though John stilled him, looking him in the eye, “What’s wrong with you?”

~~~~~

Punk sighed in what was probably a decadent fashion as he stretched out atop the bed that had unofficially become his and Drew’s since he had defacto settled into the flat with the man. Anything that had been Cody’s had been removed from the flat when the man had left, or just ignored if it was something minor like a book or shampoo bottle, but his scent was no longer distinguishable in the area. Punk had to admit that he was glad about that because there was a part of him that had grown very territorial over his first official beta in the short amount of time which had passed between them. Drew was sitting up further down the bed, the sheets bunched around his naked waist as he watched the news on the TV screen avidly. Punk had no interest in the affairs of meat-puppets regardless of where they were or who they were (the so-called celebrities were just pathetic in his mind, all drink and drugs and criminal records) and so he never paid attention to the news; he also didn’t understand why Drew was such an avid watcher of it. He did remind himself though that human habits were hard to break out of when you were first changed.

Turning onto his side, Punk watched with interest the way that Drew shifts –in a completely subconscious fashion- as he watched the screen; the smooth tanned muscles ripple slightly and bunch, Punk admiring the lean but toned aesthetic that Drew possessed. He himself wasn’t in bad shape at all, but Drew had some definite muscle-tone on him. Had he been a lesser wolf, or not known for a fact how much Drew loved submitting to him, then Punk might have felt a little threatened that one of his own was stronger than him—at face value anyway. Actually, he liked that Drew was bigger than him; it really gave him a sense of power to consider how around his thumb the man was becoming. “I’m hungry, Drew, make me something to eat.” He announced as soon as the credits for the news show began rolling. Drew turned to look at him, that long, sleek hair he possessed draped over one shoulder. Punk could still see that there was a part of Drew that was used to being in charge, the one making decisions, that wanted to resist him, but Drew was now wired to obey his alpha, and obey he would.

Seeming to give an internal sigh (which had Punk smirking like the devil himself) Drew then asked, “What would you like to eat?” Punk propped his chin on his hand, making a show of contemplating. He had kept Drew indoors since the day he had changed him, both out of necessity and his own desire, but maybe it was time to introduce him to the meat-puppets who were besmirching their world and forced them to remain hidden for fear of upsetting them all. “We’re going out. Do you know somewhere decent to eat?” Punk would not be seen dead in some five-dollar diner—he wanted real food and a decent dining experience. Hey, he may hate meat-puppets, but you couldn’t deny that some of them were damned amazing cooks. The surprise on Drew’s face was quite cute and comical (not that Punk would ever admit to thinking something was cute, ever) and Punk arched a brow in expectancy. Nodding, Drew then toted off a few restaurants that were nearby: a Chinese, an Italian, an Indian and a ‘normal’ one. Deciding to push the boat out for once, Punk decided on the decadence of an Indian. What? Were you surprised that he liked curry? Admittedly only mild ones because their heightened senses meant they all but killed themselves trying to eat spicier food.

Seriously: one time he had seen Edge attempting to eat some five-chilli spiced rating chilli and it looked as though he was suffering from some sort of severe allergy or attack of some description with the way he was gasping and wheezing and grabbing at nothing. Speaking of Edge—what was he up to now? Whereas Punk hadn’t really given a damn about the pack (he’d really only been hanging around them because he wanted to mess with Chris) he could bet that Edge had lost any influence he had ever had with any of them since he had been outed as having been doing nothing more than stringing the young alpha and his pet (yes, Justin really was Wade’s bitch- shame really, since he had one of the finest asses Punk had ever seen and he wouldn’t have minded having him around a bit more too) along by the nose for all this time. Pushing the covers back from his naked form Punk then moved into the bathroom, pausing in the doorway and crooking his finger back at the other man, “Heel, Drew.” If someone had ever attempted to use dog-puns on him then he would have ripped their throat-box out without a second thought, but he didn’t mind using them on others; especially when they meant that Drew would get that delicious flash of challenge in his dark eyes momentarily. Oh, Punk was going to enjoy removing that spark and replacing it with the devotion that all alphas were to expect from their ‘cubs’.

Drew doesn’t know how much of how Punk makes him feel is through their new bond or whatever, or also from the strange fascination he has for the completely unusual man who had walked into his life and now seemed determined not to leave, but he found himself following Punk into the bathroom. Punk might not believe in mates (and Drew couldn’t exactly say for sure he knew either way) but Drew found that weird considering Punk all but had a hissy fit whenever he so much as left the bed before him in a morning when he awoke. When he entered the bathroom steam was already beginning to build within the black and white decorated bathroom, Punk standing underneath the strong jets of the designer shower. Punk was not an overly extravagant man when you looked at him, but he did like to dress well and he was admittedly fond of his creature comforts… and his drink, but Punk had all but ruined that. Drew had had to fight not to whimper when he had watched Punk pouring every drop of alcohol in the flat down the sink.

Impatiently tugging Drew underneath the spray with him, Punk then proceeded to wash his hair before Drew then took the shampoo and washed his own. As the man tried to wash himself Punk to the liberty of taking the shower-gel from him and beginning to take the task over himself. Of course, he did leave the occasional bruise on the area where he was washing, marking Drew. The chances of people seeing Drew so undressed to actually see most of these marks didn’t matter, because it gave Punk a peace of mind that he had never needed before. They eventually managed to get washed (just as the hot water began to run out) and then exited the shower after shutting the water off and grabbing towels. Drew was pouting like man, having been teased to the brink of release by Punk before the other denied him.

Shrugging on the suit jacket over the top of his t-shirt and black jeans, Punk then smirked at the still pouting Drew and gave a joking whistle before crooking his finger and making kissing noises as he headed towards the front door. “Come on boy, good boy.” Scowling slightly –both with embarrassment and sexual frustration- Drew followed. The door was locked behind them and they headed out of the apartment building. A strange feeling washed over Punk that had nothing to do with the amount of vehicles or people around them, and he froze in place almost like a pointer-dog. Sensing that something was wrong with his alpha, Drew paused and turned to look at him. “Punk?” shaking himself almost like a dog after a bath, Punk then moved to fall into place besides Drew once more as he said, “So, where’s this restaurant then?” he smirked almost deviously, “I hope you’ve got some money on your card, Drew, because I am starving!”

~:~

“Well, at least it’s clean.” Justin said as he surveyed the three-bedroom apartment that they had managed to get their hands on at such short notice. The block was pretty affluent so they had some spares, the landlord had said; though that hadn’t stopped the man trying to scam them both for some extra bucks beforehand until Wade had growled slightly and the man had been so sure he was hearing things that he’d just shooed them away once they’d signed the right documents and paid some rent in advance. Wade amusedly watched Justin looking around the pre-furnished flat as he sank gratefully onto the settee; it was one thing to have to tolerate a mess that people you knew had made, but it was another thing entirely to be living in a stranger’s mess.

“Well, we aren’t gonna be here long anyway, so I don’t suppose it matters too much.” Wade was feeling slightly more relaxed now that they were in this new place; Edge would have difficulty tracking them thanks to the multiple cars they had used once they had left the hotel so chances were they wouldn’t have to deal with him. Any feelings of duty and respect for the man that he might have had died as soon as he spoke to Justin that way; he might tolerate many things but where his Angel was involved no one got any leeway. He remembered once when Matt had been so rough with Justin that he had ended up with a black eye and a split lip (fuck knew what he had been doing and even to this day Justin wouldn’t tell him) and even though those injuries had healed fast enough he had freaked out and taken Matt outside for a severe warning… Ok, he was a little possessive of Justin.

Much too Wade’s enjoyment Justin was bending over before the fridge to clean it out before placing in the groceries that he had nipped across to the shops for to tide them over for their stay, and he watched as that perky bottom he had so thoroughly enjoyed earlier dipped and swayed slightly with each of Justin’s movements. Once Justin deemed the fridge and freezer clean and satisfactory he turned towards Wade and furrowed his brow in concern when he saw the way the other was sagging into the couch. “I’ll run you a bath.” Wade’s cheek twitched slightly; he didn’t like the fact that even though he was doing better Justin still felt the need to baby him. He knew that was just Justin’s way, and that he cared about him and was worried for him, but he didn’t like it. He was supposed to take care of Justin. In their own way he supposed he and Justin were rather like mates only neither of them had ever allowed themselves to acknowledge or claim one another as such. It’d been close on occasion though, he wouldn’t lie.

“Only if you get in with me.” Wade’s words had Justin blushing somewhat and the raven haired male smirked at the smaller before shaking his head slightly and arching a brow in challenge. Justin looked as though he were going to refuse, but then recognised that Wade seriously would not get in the bath without him and so nodded his head and said, “Alright Wade.” The South-African headed into the bathroom and Wade allowed himself to relax some more. As far as he was concerned the worst of it had to be over for them. They had a chance at a fresh start and something just told him that his father would have preferred him to use his head for once about such things. Of course it was probably not as easy as he was expecting, but he was feeling oddly relaxed without this vendetta against Chris structuring every move that he made. He hadn’t noticed that he had nodded off until he found himself looking up at the softly amused countenance of Justin’s as the other gently shook him awake. “Come on Wade—we’ll get a bath and then we’ll go lay down together, Ok?” this time Wade let the somewhat coddling behaviour go since he knew that Justin was doing it for his own good and he was feeling rather tired and the thought of just lying with Justin in his arms was enough to keep him relaxed and amicable. Standing from the settee (admittedly from a little help from Justin when he lost his balance momentarily) Wade then followed Justin to the bathroom.

The room was warm and full of steam, the bath obviously hot but not too hot; showers their kind could tolerate but when it came to baths they couldn’t stand them too hot for some reason. Wade had never questioned why and he doubted that any of their kind really thought about it much considering that they were used to such things. Wade stripped off and slid into the water, well-aware that Justin wasn’t going to make any move to undress himself unless he was sure that Wade was actually going to get into the bath… lord only knew when they were growing up how many excuses that the elder had used to avoid baths and the like when they were children and that hadn’t changed much with growing up. Not to say that Wade lacked personal hygiene because that wasn’t true. Seeing that Wade had eased himself back into the water Justin began to remove the light zippered-hoody and t-shirt that he had been wearing before then moving on to his jeans, boxers and socks; needless to say Wade was still delighted by the fact that the smaller man’s body bore the marks still that he had left earlier on. On Justin that was something that he had always enjoyed seeing, though he had never admitted such a thing to anyone other than himself.

“You could have slowed it down a little for me.” Wade pouted jokingly and Justin chuckled as he neatly slipped himself into the water. He had intended to sit opposite Wade but the other was having none of that and pulled him close. Not exactly averse to the old intimacy that had returned between them now they were alone and no longer having to keep up appearances Justin allowed himself to be moved and settled his back against the smooth wall of Wade’s chest. He enjoyed the way the water lapped at both of their bodies, closing his eyes and letting the rhythm of Wade’s breathing lull him into a light sort of doze though he wasn’t sleeping. “How are you feeling?” Justin murmured softly, feeling Wade’s fingers tracing the length of his thigh in a manner that wasn’t sexual but most definitely intended to be noticed. “I’m feeling good.” Wade said honestly. He was recovering well (and though he would probably forever mourn the loss of part of his ear he’d only hope it’d make him look rugged as opposed to lopsided facially) and he had Justin. All in all things were sort of settled… though he still had some niggling feelings concerning Chris and his pack.

From what had happened with Edge he was feeling incredibly disillusioned and he wanted to know the truth. However, he sincerely doubted that he and Justin would be welcome on Chris’ property; the man may have spared him from death once but Wade doubted he’d get a second chance on that score, especially after what they’d done to young Evan. It was quite frightening actually, but when he had been in the midst of his fight with Chris he had looked to Justin and Evan, just briefly, and had it not been for their different skin tones and slight differences in build they could have been twins; both had been tensed in exactly the same way and both had had undeniable fear running through them as they had watched what happened. Actually, it was probably that image which had caught his attention long enough for Chris to get the upper-hand… though in retrospect he had to admit that he was glad it had happened. He now knew that even if he had won there had been no chance of the pack changing their allegiance and he would have been left with less than he’d started with.

As though sensing what he was thinking, Justin whispered, “I don’t know why he did it. I still can’t understand it.” Wade cocked his head slightly and then turned Justin’s so that he could look the other in the eye, “Don’t understand what, Angel?” Justin huffed a breath. He didn’t want to make Wade upset or mad by lingering on past events but he wasn’t lying when he said it had been playing on his mind. “Why did he help us?” He didn’t need to elaborate on who ‘He’ was. “Why would he help us after what we’d done to him? And what did Chris mean by what he had said to you about dad?” In ordinary circumstances he supposed it would be disgusting that he had such feelings for the man who was defacto his step-brother, but Wade had never much given a toss about conventionality, understandably.

Wrapping his arms around Justin’s waist slightly Wade sighed, resting his head against the other’s when Justin lay back on his shoulder. “I don’t know, Angel. I’ve been thinking about it myself.” He knew that what he was about to say next was probably a bad idea before the words had even left his mouth he went ahead and said it anyway: “I was thinking… maybe we should go and see Chris.” Almost immediately Justin all but popped out of his arms and turned around, all but kneeling (and against the bath floor that couldn’t be comfortable) between his legs in the limited space of the tub as he stared at him with an expression that should have been copied into the dictionary besides the definition of shock. “What?” Justin’s voice was slightly higher in pitch than normal thanks to his surprise, but he ignored that little reaction and carried on, voice growing hushed in his agitation—as though he expected someone to be eavesdropping outside the bathroom door. “Wade—please tell me you’re joking.” Wade shook his head as he looked the other right in the eye and said in a serious tone, “I’m so serious it’s not even funny, Angel.”


	22. Chapter Twenty-One: Another Bad Idea Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Randy is goaded more than he can stand and breaks his promise to John.

Justin stared for a moment, then realised Wade was telling him the truth. He really did want to speak to Chris, about their father probably, but there was no way Justin wanted Wade within a thousand miles of someone who had good reason to kill Wade without stopping to ask questions. He shook his head. “Wade, that’s such a bad idea – I don’t even know where to begin saying how bad an idea it is! He let you go once, but if Evan hadn’t have stepped in he would have killed you. Next time, he just might do it and I...” He broke off the train of thought, tried to get back to the core matter. “And who are we helping by crashing into their lives again? Not ourselves, not them. They probably want to forget that we exist and I know it’s hard not knowing for sure what happened to our father but Wade, maybe we’ll never know. I don’t think Edge was lying even now, I think he really believes Chris killed him, but I don’t think Chris was lying either and that just means that neither of them know the truth either. Chris doesn’t have the answers and seeing him would just be pointless.”

Wade could see how agitated Justin was getting and shifted position slightly, reaching up to rest a hand on teh man’s arm. “Maybe not, but we’d know for sure. And I don’t know. I suppose I’d like to tell them that we’re done with the whole deal now and they won’t see us again...”

“I raped his mate!” Justin’s eyes were wide, hardly able to believe he’d actually spoken the words although they both knew what had happened; neither one of them had put it into words since. “He spared you once, but now he knows what happened, is he going to spare me?”

Wade’s mouth fell open; it was clear that he hadn’t thought Chris would hold a real grudge against Justin for it. Justin frowned unhappily, it was a hard thing for him to talk about but he had done a lot of re-evaluating since he had nearly lost Wade for good. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, no matter how good your intentions are,” he mumbled, not meeting Wade’s eyes. “Chris has no reason to owe us the truth or anything else. I think we should leave well alone.”

“Justin?” Wade’s hand moved up to rest against Justin’s face; Justin leaned into the touch but didn’t look up. “Angel. Don’t talk about it like that. You hardly touched him, you were only playing—“

“Fuck Wade.” This time Justin did meet the others eyes. “It wasn’t a game. Even if it felt like it at the time. I was so sure he’d come around to our pack and we couldn’t possibly fail, it was like having permission from the future, it wasn’t even like he was a real person until he was one of us and then he’d be just fine with it. It was more like he was some toy I got that wouldn’t work the way I wanted it to and it wasn’t until much later on that I started thinking differently. He’s real Wade and he’s a better person than me.” Justin’s voice got quieter. “And whether or not Chris decided to take belated revenge on us, or even just me, I don’t think I can face him knowing what I did to Evan.”

Wade was quiet for long moments, then sat to wrap his arms around Justin, pulling the man against him again. “We’ll talk about it some other time,” he said, refusing to promise not to try to contact Chris – the urge to speak to the man was practically a need, as strong as the one that made him change form at every full moon. But the subject was clearly upsetting Justin and he thought Justin had suffered enough upset just recently. It couldn’t hurt to give both of them a couple of days before he made any plans one way or the other – but he was almost certain that he would have to make contact with the pack leader and soon. 

~:~

Randy looked back at John, knowing he shouldn’t have been surprised that the other man had picked up on his mood. John could always pick up on the nuances of his moods no matter how hard he tried to hide them – and if he were honest with himself, he knew that he tended to wear his emotions in the open anyway. People tended to notice when he was happy or upset and John was always going to be the one who noticed first. He couldn’t lie, but then again he didn’t want John knowing that Edge had made contact. There were all kinds of reasons for that and the main one was that John was trying to recover. If he found that the man who had shot him had intended him dead and was sniffing around his mate, it would make John feel jealous – because they were by nature jealous when it came to their mates – and possibly threatened. And then he’d try to rush himself out of bed and could make matters worse. The only thing keeping him in bed and getting over things was thinking that Edge was long gone and Randy wasn’t going after him. 

There was another reason, one that Randy was only barely admitting to himself in case John read it in his eyes; Edge had made contact and had expected Randy to come and find him – fuck knew why, perhaps he thought that the display of superiority would impress Randy somehow. But Randy saw only an act of cowardice and he wanted to rip Edge apart for it. If Edge had made the call, then maybe he was still around. Maybe he could be traced. And if he were in the area, then Randy could make contact of his own, his fist with Edge’s face. His teeth with Edge’s throat. He had promised John that he wouldn’t go looking for Edge, but if Edge told Randy where he was, well, that wasn’t like going looking for him was it? That was having revenge fall on his lap and he’d be stupid to pass up the chance. Not that he had much of a plan yet... but he was coming up with the beginnings of one. 

“Nothing’s wrong,” replied Randy, then sighed a little. “Well, of course there’s something wrong, but it’s just – everything that’s been going on. Things feel unfinished, y’know? And I’d prefer if they weren’t so up in the air. I like a definite conclusion, I don’t like loose ends. I don’t like not knowing where Edge is, or Wade or Punk for that matter. It bugs me.” That was all true, but it wasn’t the real reason he was wound up. Gently he kissed John’s chest, taking care not to accidentally brush against his wound, still uncovered. “Sorry babe. I didn’t mean to be in such a shitty mood.”

“You weren’t in a shitty mood earlier,” John pointed out. In fact, Randy had been quite upbeat, proud of himself for providing all the things John needed to stave off cabin fever for a while. John tried to pinpoint the moment that he’d noticed Randy’s mood had darkened, but he had been so busy with his laptop and lesson plans that he had barely noticed Randy taking a phonecall and Randy hadn’t mentioned it since; it had completely slipped his mind. “And you’re not really in a shitty mood now, you’re more – tense. There’s something on your mind.” He looked back at Randy levelly, but the thought occurred that Randy might be telling the truth. They’d been through so much, why wouldn’t Randy be suffering from some stress? Especially given that there really were some major loose ends and John wasn’t sure that he was comfortable with the way things had been left in the air either. 

“It’s just – everything.” Randy leaned up to kiss John’s lips, a secretive but rather grim smile on his face. “I’ll get over it.”

“And you promise, you’re not gonna go looking for any of those guys?”

“I promise John, I’m not gonna go after them unless they come after us first. At least until you’re healed properly.”

John frowned. Something was nagging at him; he couldn’t shake the feeling that Randy was hiding something from him. But what the hell could he be hiding? John could understand the why, but he couldn’t think what could have happened since he’d been shot that Randy could realistically be hiding from him. Maybe he was over reacting. Between being in nagging pain that he was trying to hide and being tired with his recuperation, there was every chance he was just being paranoid.

He rested his hands on the back of Randy’s neck, wanting to pull the other in for a real kiss but knowing Randy would resist because of his injury. Damn, he hated being incapacitated in such a way. It made him feel useless, it stopped him from doing exactly what he wanted and now it was making him paranoid too. “I promise you that I’m gonna make everything up to you the second I’m well enough.”

Randy’s eyes lit up; since getting together with John he hadn’t been without the others sexual attentions for this long ever. “I’m holding you to that – and I’d better finish changing that dressing so that I can get my promise sooner.”

“I can change my own dressing y’know,” John complained, but he allowed Randy to put on a fresh bandage, wincing slightly at the pressure his mate was forced to put on it but noting that it felt far better now than it had even that morning. Had it not been for the silver factor, then he might have been well already and doing sinful things to Randy, certainly enough to keep his mind off their current problems and coax the other out of his tense, slightly restless mood. 

Instead of doing what he would have liked to, John chose a film and they put it on. Randy stripped to his boxers and settled beside John in the bed, neither of them paying much attention to the action on the screen. Instead they made small talk for the most part, occasionally veering into the more sensitive topics, such as if there was anything either of them could do to persuade Evan that they didn’t blame him for what had happened (“I don’t know that we can,” said Randy with a frown of concern, he cared about Evan like a favoured little brother and would have done just about anything to change what had happened to the man. “We just have to keep showing him it’s not changed things I guess.”). Now that Cody seemed to be an established part of the pack, they allowed themselves a little good-natured amusement over it (“Remember when Ted was seventeen and we told him about the mates thing?” John chuckled. “I thought he was going to have a fit or something, especially when you told him we got to pick ‘em and you had a nice older gentleman interested. I’m amazed Chris didn’t take your balls for that prank.”). And John wanted to know more about Christian and what Randy remembered about the man (“Just watch yourself,” Randy warned. “If you think I like pranks, Christian was a master.”). 

But eventually John allowed himself to fall asleep again, a slight smile on his face. Randy had gone a long way to reassuring him that there was really nothing wrong and it had been nice with just the two of them talking mostly unconcernedly. He knew he was healing, seemed to be healing up now the worst was over and settling into the deep itch that signified skin knitting itself back together. And once he was recovered, he was confident that the entire pack was going to be able to get over everything that had happened. John was an optimist at heart and no matter how dark things got sometimes, he was always able to find some hope in any situation. He knew they could all get through this. 

Randy lay awake. 

He hadn’t exactly been sleeping well in the last few days, but even that couldn’t facilitate his rest. As soon as John nodded off, he rearranged himself so he was lying on his back, John’s arm going over his chest automatically. Randy caressed the limb softly, but his eyes were wide open and he was staring into space. It might have been a long, long time since he and Edge had anything to do with each other, but he knew how the other man thought to an extent. He knew that he’d shaken Edge with his words and Edge would feel the need to prove that he was not intimidated or afraid. And now he knew that John was alive, he would want to get Randy when he knew John wouldn’t be able to interrupt their conversation. He wasn’t entirely sure how he’d get Edge to give himself away, nor was he sure what his plan of action was – if he challenged Edge to a showdown, what was to stop him from bringing along another gun, another silver bullet? But something in him rebelled at the thought. John had it right, he thought; Edge wanted John dead or at least the hell out of his way, he wasn’t convinced that was what Edge wanted for him. No, he was sure that Edge would prefer a whole different kind of revenge where he was concerned, a revenge that involved Randy admitting his mistake in not going with Edge when the chance was there, in choosing someone else to fall in love with even if Edge didn’t really want his love at all – and that revenge couldn’t come if Randy was dead. 

It was a good three hours after John had dozed off when Randy felt himself starting to drift a little, his eyes closing for prolonged periods and then snapping open again, his attention wavering. The rest of the manor was quiet, although he thought he had heard Christian retiring earlier, Evan and Chris not long after that and that would mean he was probably the only person in the house still awake. Unless Evan was having a sleepless night too. That thought brought him around a little and he gritted his teeth, hearing John make some murmur in his sleep and then fall quiet again. He had set his phone to silent as soon as they had put the film on but in spite of his wavering attention, he was awake enough to see the light from the corner of his eye as the device lit up, signalling a call he couldn’t hear.

Carefully moving John’s arm, he slid from the bed noiselessly and grabbed the phone, exiting the room and making it half-way down the stairs before answering. “Hello?” he said quietly, not recognising the number and knowing that it was a different one than the one Edge had called him on before. And really, who else would call him in the middle of the night. 

There was a chuckle from the other end of the phone and a familiar voice spoke into his ear. “Keeping quiet so you don‘t wake the pack? Or is it for the benefit of your new man? The one too stupid to dodge the bullet?”

Randy’s lip curled. “Edge.”

~:~

Ever since finding out that Randy’s little pet had lived through the night he’d taken a bullet, Edge had been in a state of low-grade fear. He hated that feeling, would have ripped it from himself if he’d known how, but all he could do was find some way to quash it. And plan; because he had no doubt that Randy meant every word of what he’d said. 

When he’d brought that gun to the fight, he had some idea that he would be able to fire a clean shot at Chris. He had been able to envision it all so clearly; Chris would tear Wade’s throat out and he would immediately order the Hardy’s to keep a hold on Evan. Justin would throw himself into the fray no doubt, grief-stricken over the death of his alpha, step-brother and frequent lover, oh yeah, Edge had a damn good idea of what Wade meant to Justin. Between that distraction and Evan no doubt struggling, Edge thought that Chris would be hyped from the fight, distracted by Justin and afraid for his mate, he would go racing to the Hardy’s to free Evan from his captors. And when he did, Edge would put the bullet neatly between his eyes.

But it hadn’t gone like that. No one had been keeping a close enough eye on Evan and none of them had been expecting him to throw himself into the fight on Wade’s behalf like that. Chris hadn’t even approached and Edge wasn’t good enough with a gun, let alone one with a custom bullet, to ensure he’d hit anything. There had been only himself and Punk left and he’d already known that Punk was unlikely to stick around once the night was done, Punk did not waste time with empathy for others and he’d consider Wade dead weight from that moment on. But Punk had a sixth sense for when a situation could be made worse and Edge had trusted that, been right to do so as it turned out because he’d been able to sense the eyes of Randy’s new toy on him before the fight, once the danger was over. He could use that jealousy and provoke a reaction, and use it he had. There were few of them who could manipulate others like Edge could, he’d had plenty of practice at it over the years on Wade and Justin. 

John was supposed to be dead. He wasn’t supposed to have lived through it. And although it had been plan B, he had already known what would happen; Chris would not be able to give the kind of understanding that Randy would feel he needed in such a situation, too concerned with Evan. Evan wouldn’t be able to do it and Edge doubted that the two kids were up to the job. He wanted Randy despondent, depressed, unable to think straight. He would blame himself, because he’d know why Edge had targeted John. Depression would overcome anger and when Edge struck, well, he would offer to give Randy the answers he sought and overwhelm the other with self-recrimination. It could drive Randy right out of his mind of course, there was always that risk when one had lost their mate. There were those of their kind who never met a mate, like Punk, and they seemed to get along just fine. It was when they had lost their mates that reality seemed to cease to have meaning. 

Instead of mourning, Randy was pissed. And he was coming for Edge. 

His first plan had seemed simple enough. Go to Wade and Justin, make out like he’d been followed and was trying to let them get away free and had really done them a big favour. Then he just had to take his former place, not as advisor as he had been when he had allowed Wade to take over, but as the alpha himself. He would blame himself for not doing a good enough job preparing Wade for the fight and for leadership, outwardly at least. And then when Randy came for him, with or without his pack, Wade would be itching to redeem himself and take down anyone that challenged him. 

And that hadn’t gone right either. He had forgotten that Wade was not just leader because he said so, he was alpha by design and by nature and he had put his foot down, changed the game plan. It was clear that Wade wasn’t going to get involved and Edge, driven by frustration and fear, had lost his temper and burned his bridges. Wade’s feelings for Justin might have been Wade’s one weak spot but Edge hadn’t counted on them being his strength as well. The moment he had even considered attacking the man, he had lost his potential allies. 

Well, he didn’t need them. There were other ways to get what he wanted. And anyway, what the hell else did he have left? His old pack, under Chris, had driven him out. His new pack had scattered and Wade had driven him out. He had no pack, no plans and nothing left in his life save for the only thing that had always been there, revenge. If Randy had gone with him back then, things could have been different – and if he were to take Randy back, then that would infuriate Chris. Not to mention that ever since realising Randy had a mate, he’d been – well, jealous. Territorial. He might have disputed mates for his own ends, but he had the proof of his own eyes that they existed. Did that mean Randy was his? He didn’t think so, he was feeling toward John the same way he felt toward Justin, that the men had taken something that was rightly his, be it his lover or his protégé. It was more that he didn’t want to lose what he had. And if he couldn’t have Randy, then no one could. There was always that last resort. 

It might have been wiser to lay low but Edge’s ego wouldn’t let him; Randy had challenged him and there was no way he could let the other think he was afraid, no matter whether or not he was. Show no weakness, it was the first rule. At the sound of Randy’s voice, pitched low – and no doubt that was so he didn’t disturb that muscled asshole that had taken his place in Randy’s bed over the years, or the rest of the pack. He had chosen to use a payphone so that his call couldn’t be traced back to where he was currently staying, he leaned against the side feeling slightly more confident. There was nothing Randy could use to throw him off guard this time, not when he knew Cena was alive and there was nothing more Randy had to shock him. And it had been a shock, but he could still work something out. 

“Hey Randy,” he said in a voice of low amusement. “Keeping it quiet in case your toy wakes up and finds you’re taking to a better man?”

There was a snort of derision. “You are not a better man, you never were and never will be. And even with a bullet to the gut, he could rip your balls off and feed them to you. You could say I’m doing this for your own protection.”

“Aw, I knew you still had a soft spot for me.” Edge snickered as he heard the soft growl from Randy, another noise in the background. An electronic hum, the quiet tapping of a keyboard. He smirked a little, it seemed that Randy still hadn’t learned how to type using more than his index fingers. 

“You’ve got a soft spot,” snarled Randy. Edge could picture him in some grand house, the only illumination coming from the computer he could hear in the background. He didn’t think Randy would have one, so maybe it belonged to Jericho, who knew? Maybe dating a teacher had changed Randy’s habits a little. “It’s at your throat and the last thing you’re gonna feel is my teeth closing around it. You’re finished.”

“Really?” Edge toyed with the phone wire, trying not to breathe too deeply. Yeesh, with his sensitive nose he could smell every person who’d used the box to take a quick leak and it smelled like half the men in town. And not a few of the women, if he wasn’t wrong. He didn’t like standing here, but it was all for a good cause. Let Randy think he was being smart, he’d soon enough find out he was being outsmarted. “That’s weird, because I’m only just getting started. It’s not like you know where I am and I know you haven’t told your precious boyfriend about my call. Too worried about him? Scared he’ll start freaking out? Trust me baby, I know you too well for you to lie to me. It’s only you and me who know anything about any of this.” He chuckled again, hearing the almost-inaudible sound of Randy’s growl. “It’s a bit like cheating, right? Up in the middle of the night, talking to some rival your lover knows nothing about – someone who’s seen you in positions I bet your vanilla mate never even dreamt about.” This time, his laugh was dirty. Keep Randy good and mad, that was the ticket. When he was mad, he made poor decisions. 

“Trust me, the way John’s seen me is nothing like you ever have.” A pause and Edge was aware in the silence that Randy had moved from the computer, he could no longer hear that hum. “I enjoy myself with him for one.”

“Ouch,” laughed Edge, feeling almost giddy. Could it really be working? Maybe Randy hadn’t changed so much after all, still impulsive, impetuous – and so utterly gullible. “You’re gonna tell me you didn’t enjoy yourself Rand? That whenever you were on your back begging for me, you were faking? I remember it too well Randy and trust me baby, you’re really not that good an actor.”

“Then age and insanity is clouding your memory.” Randy’s voice was slightly clearer now, obviously on the conversation and trying to do anything else. That meant he was coming. He was trying to keep Edge in the same place so that he could find him without a problem. The number of the public phone would have shown up on Randy’s phone and all of those were listed on public records, on the internet. He’d know full well the street Edge was on, busy at weekends, now completely without movement save for the breeze catching the occasional piece of debris. And he’d be on his way.

That was fine. Edge leaned down and touched the bag at his feet, as if to reassure himself it was still there. It took a lot to knock out a werewolf but it could be done – animal tranks were favourite and Edge had no worries about breaking in anywhere, although the animals could make a real ruckus when there was a werewolf around. He had more than enough to take Randy down for the count, with a dart gun he wouldn’t even have to risk the other getting close. And after that – well, it might take Randy a long time to get around to Edge’s way of thinking, but it could be done. He could be made to forget his mate and the best part was that Randy was coming to him of his own free will. Even after what had happened to Evan, Randy was just walking out of the house and leaving his mate behind, vanishing into thin air. Edge was certain that Randy wouldn’t be pleased at first but given space and education, he would think differently. 

Edge had proven to be a patient teacher. And there was nothing else left in his life but time. 

~:~

Justin was asleep, Wade watching the rise and fall of his chest as if mesmerised. Justin had been so upset earlier when Wade had wanted to get back in touch with Chris, so adamant that it could never be allowed to happen. Wade didn’t want to upset him, but another thought had occurred and it might just change everything. Edge had as good as said they should go after Chris and his pack again and Wade knew damn well that once Edge got an idea, he was like a terrier with a scrap, unwilling to let it go. He also hadn’t lived around Edge half his life without learning a thing or two about how to play on other people. If he wanted to learn more about his father, then asking Chris was the obvious place to start. Chris had no reason to help him and every reason to tell him to fuck off, at best. But maybe Wade could do something to gain if not Chris’ trust, then at least some kind of obligation and perhaps the wary belief that Wade and Justin were serious about their hands-off approach from then on.

Brushing a stray lock of Justin’s thick dark hair from the man’s eyes, he got out of the bed and went for his things. Among the few items he’d brought were the jeans he’d been wearing the night he nearly got eviscerated, muddied and bloodied but they’d been to hand when he’d grabbed a few belongings. Now he was glad he had done. Feeling in the pocket, he found the card that Evan had given to Justin when they’d first met, the number of Chris’ emergency contact line on there. Wade still thought it was a stupid idea, but it had proven useful then and it would again... or so he thought. When he dialled, he got only a machine with Chris’ lazy drawl telling him to leave a message and a number. Wade hesitated, then decided a message would probably be easier anyway.

“Jericho,” he said rapidly, keeping his voice low because he didn’t want to wake Justin. “It’s Barrett. Wade,” he added so that he didn’t get confused with his father, then felt mad at himself for doing so, it made him sound uncertain. He forced his voice to sound stronger and then continued. “I doubt you’re pleased to hear me voice right now, but you need to listen to what I have to say. I’ve ordered the pack to disband and you’ve got no threat of retaliation from me. Not all the pack are happy with me for it. Edge was talking about taking things further, but since I threw him out, I don’t know his plans. Consider this a warning to watch your back.” He terminated the call before he could change his mind and add something to make himself sound stupid, although he wasn’t convinced he sounded like he wasn’t in cahoots with Edge. Bollocks to it. It was too late to take it back and if Chris didn’t want to take the warning for what it was, that was his look-out. 

Putting the phone down again, he went back to bed, resting his body close to Justin’s and smiling slightly when the other turned in his sleep, tangling their legs together.

~:~

Alberto didn’t like not being in control of a situation. He liked to know what was going to happen, how things were progressing. He liked to be the one pulling the strings of everything in his life, be they plans or people and he had never expected that to change. Even when he had met Christian, who he had to admit wasn’t his usual type at all. Alberto had been in standing traffic in the back of his Bentley, finishing a phone call to his financial advisor and staring idly out of the window when he’d seen a chase on the opposite lane. A man, all long hair and crazed desperation, crashed into the barrier, got out of the vehicle and took off running. A moment later another car had pulled up beside it, the driver not even able to get his seatbelt off before the passenger had bounded out and gone after the running man. Alberto hadn’t liked blondie’s chances, but somehow he’d caught up, tackling the man to the floor emphatically, kneeling on the small of his back and somehow getting cuffs on the flailing arms. A couple of people got out of their own cars, the blonde man had flashed some kind of badge and the people had just got back into their vehicles and watched the show. But Alberto knew cops and he knew they weren’t it. Bounty hunters if he had to guess. As he heard Ricardo tutting and fussing over the display from the drivers set, he had kept his eyes on the blonde. Standing up, the blonde had rolled out his shoulders and then bent to pick the suspect up by the back of his shirt, apparently not using any effort to do so, although the guy was far from small. Alberto noted the interesting way his muscles moved and decided right then that he was going to have the hunter for his own. He might be a far cry from the smooth business types he usually went for, but there was something about the man that made him want to get closer, find out more. 

He had expected it to be a temporary distraction. He’d discovered the company with the bounty without too much struggle – it was easy with as much money as he had. The man he’d been casually eying was called Christian Cage, which made him raise his eyebrows a little – it was too convenient to be true. And when his sources told him that there was no record of Christian Cage anywhere until a few years ago, Alberto felt his interest grow. He might be playing with fire, as Ricardo had worriedly told him, but he couldn’t leave this one alone. 

He saw no need to change his behaviour at first though; he merely swaggered into the office Christian worked in one morning, spied the man and seeing no one else around (he wasn’t totally insensitive and he knew that some men would be teased to hell and back about being propositioned by another man), told Christian he was taking him for a drink. Christian’s reaction had been just too hard for him to process at first.

“No?” Alberto looked blank as he tried to fit the word into his understanding of the situation. It wasn’t one he’d come across too often before and certainly not in his dating life. Money talked and no one turned down a date with a rich man in case that rich man became a lifetime meal ticket. “What you mean, no?”

“I don’t take orders from anyone,” Christian had said calmly, shuffling papers on a desk that Alberto was sure was only to make him look busy. “Even if it is to drink coffee. If you’d asked me instead...”

Alberto smiled. Oh, it was part of a game. Well, he could play. “Would you please come for a drink with me?”

Christian considered it. “No. You put me off with that first impression. I don’t think we’d get on.”

Alberto had left, but he’d been back. He refused to let Christian get away and that the man had actually said no to him – that wasn’t something that happened often. And while that might have been the catalyst for the pursuit, it hadn’t been what had kept him with the man. Christian was so stubborn and secretive, he was funny and warm and caring. He seemed to see past Alberto’s arrogance and either keep his ego in check or remind him that he wasn’t impressed by the posturing. Alberto didn’t show it much, he didn’t like to, but he was infatuated with Christian. 

Only there had been problems along the way – his own behaviour and Christian’s job, he didn’t like the thought that Christian could be hurt or shot at all. But Christian was wilfully independent, one of the things he loved about him. Yeah, loved. He never thought that he of all people would fall into that trap, but somehow he had – and Christian just didn’t seem to need it. It was as if there was some invisible barrier between them and it drove him crazy, but there was little he could do to tear it down. Christian’s oddly secretive behaviour and his own dislike of having to emotionally engage with another person stood in their way. 

Which was why he was up at two in the morning, sitting in front of the oversized plasma and wishing that he’d been able to talk Christian into coming back with him. Christian lived alone, in some one-bedroom flat and Alberto didn’t understand why Christian would rather that than in his mansion, where he wouldn’t have to work or want for anything. He certainly wouldn’t be coming by every so often, maybe one day a month, wild-eyed and anxious, turning up at lunchtime and leaving Alberto exhausted in bed while he slipped away before the sun went down.

He was concerned, that was it. A few days ago, Christian’s plans had been to finish work, grab a pizza and go by to see Alberto. Only Christian had never showed up, leaving Alberto waiting alone with his clever arguments as to why Christian should move in with him unsaid. There was a single terse voicemail from the blonde saying he had something to take care of and would be gone a few days, maybe a week or so, and then nothing. Alberto had tried giving him space, but he was very impatient and very bad at giving anyone anything, even the one man he’d give anything money could buy. 

He didn’t like it. He was uneasy, wondering if Christian had gotten into trouble, or trouble had finally caught up with him. People didn’t change their names for no reason after all and he’d never quite dared to bring up how he’d pried into Christian’s past in case the other man freaked out and dumped him. Their relationship could be volatile at times. 

He sat back in his chair, debating his options, then abruptly stood up. He’d had enough of waiting, he’d done it for long enough. Time to find his man. Striding from the room, uncaring of the time, he bellowed up the stairs. “RICARDO!”

Ricardo, his personal assistant, appeared bleary-eyed a moment later. Ricardo followed him everywhere, but Alberto thought that was only right, given the amount of salary he paid and the places the other man got to visit with him. Christian thought the man was creepy, but then Christian didn’t understand the need for a valet around at all times. 

“Find Christian,” he said abruptly. “I want to know where he is, I want you to trace him right now.”

“Uh-huh,” mumbled Ricardo, already planning how to do so even as he rubbed his eyes and tried to make his brain work properly. In his opinion, Christian was probably having a wild week with someone else more his type – some low-class ingrate like himself. That perked him up a little, if he could find such evidence then Alberto would remove Christian from the picture for good. And there was nothing more Ricardo wanted from life, except for Alberto to notice his devotion and return it in kind, than to get Christian the hell away from his boss. Alberto liked the bounty hunter far too much for Ricardo to be comfortable with.

~~

To say that he was surprised when he checked his messages was not an understatement; the dulcet British tones of Wade Barrett were not ones that he had been expecting to hear ever again considering everything that had happened between them and everything. Immediately he had been about to delete the message before he had even gotten started—but Evan’s gentle hand on his bicep had forestalled him. In retrospect he supposed he was lucky that Evan had stilled him otherwise he would have risked missing rather crucial information. Wade’s pack had been disbanded… that was some small mercy; their group had been too much of an anomaly for him to be comfortable with even before they had… taken the liberties that they had. Edge. Edge had always been the critical factor, and now they knew that he wasn’t going to be about. Sighing, Chris replayed the message several times just to make sure that he wasn’t missing anything—or to see whether they were being set up.

There was nothing in Wade’s voice to denote that he was trying to lie for someone and Chris could sense in an alpha-to-alpha kind of way that the other was being completely on the level with him. He was drawn from his thoughts momentarily when he felt a shy kiss being dropped onto his shoulder. Turning his head he smiled softly at his mate, a hand going up to cup his mate’s cheek. He didn’t know what had happened between Cody and Evan, but even though Evan was still a little reticent at any initial touches he gave him, he was beginning to actually seek them out some more as opposed to just waiting for Chris to do so. Leaning in for a kiss Chris was suddenly forced to pull back when he heard a knock on their bedroom door. Evan momentarily looked a little wary and Chris kissed his forehead softly and murmured, “Hold that thought, Puppy.” He then padded across to the door and opened it, surprised to see Christian standing there.

“Christian?” he immediately felt alert, “Is something wrong?” he then noticed Christian had the bag he had arrived to their home with that fateful night of The Incident. Christian shook his head, smiling slightly, “No, nothing’s wrong.” He assured his friend, voice low as though he were aware that he had interrupted something and didn’t want to continue to do so more than he had to. “I just came to tell you that I have to go… I got a call from my colleagues and apparently there’s some pretty big business that’s come up that they need my help with.” Chris thought that this was a little abrupt—but then reflected that Christian had essentially dropped his own life to come and aid them in their time of need, and of course he would have had to return to everything before too long. “Of course…” Chris embraced his friend tightly, “Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.” Christian gave his friend a joking punch on the arm, “Don’t get all emotional on me, Chris—it’s embarrassing for the pair of us.” They chuckled softly and then Chris turned around to fetch his phone and finding himself confronted with his shyly smiling mate as he handed it over. “Thanks.” Chris grinned softly and then turned his attention back to Christian. “Phone number.” He said with some firmness, “We’re not falling out of touch again.” Rolling his eyes fondly, Christian gave Chris his number and vice versa, then collecting his bag and preparing to leave.

~:~

When Randy left their bed normally John was awake in moments; his injury however, meant that he was sleeping more than normal to aid in his healing process. Later he would deem that those were the only reasons that he awoke so late after everything that had been going on. Rubbing a hand over his eyes the man sleepily reached to feel the body of his mate—and met cool sheets instead. Eyes snapping open and all vestiges of sleep leaving him immediately, John forced himself into an abrupt sitting position that had his wound aching like crazy but he didn’t acknowledge it as one thought went screaming around his mind over and over again: Randy was gone. Randy. Was. Gone. Throwing the covers back, John forced his previously boxer-clad body into some jeans (and swearing he felt his wound reopening with the pain beginning to emanate from his abdomen) and then pulled a shirt on after dousing himself swiftly with deodorant. There was a little voice in his mind that was telling him that he was over-reacting, and that Randy was probably just outside having a smoke.

It took him mere moments though to realise that that wasn’t the case. He followed his mate’s scent down the stairs, across the entrance hall, to the front door… and then out. The trail continued, though John knew that was only the case because Randy hadn’t taken a car. Fuck! Turning (and wrapping an arm around his abdomen somewhat as he forced the pain he was feeling away) John hastened back up the stairs as quickly as he could. It seemed he had underestimated how he was still a little behind though with his senses and space and depth etc. as he completely misjudged the last step and went crashing down to the landing. The noise had the nearest door opening mere moments later and an obviously-naked-underneath-a-towel Ted appeared. The confused look that the man had been sporting was nothing compared to the look that twisted his features next.

“John!” he hastened to his friend’s side (discounting the fact that he was so obviously undressed) and helped to put him into a sitting position. “What are you doing? Where’s Randy?” There was no way Randy would be letting John so much as walk to the bathroom in his current condition, let alone heading downstairs for a midnight snack or something like that. John huffed out a breath, angry at himself, reluctantly clinging to Ted as the other helped him up. Even though Ted wasn’t a small guy he would have struggled to get John to his feet had he not had his enhanced strength; John wasn’t tiny by any stretch of the imagination, solid muscle. “I don’t know.” John’s voice was pained, though through physical pain or strain over fear of his mate Ted couldn’t differentiate. “What’s going on?” Ted turned and caught the sight of his own mate hastening from their room, also clad in a towel and with recently damp hair. Giving a thin laugh John shook his head, “Did I interrupt something? Sorry.” The two younger men hastily shook their heads and then returned their attention to the topic at hand, “What do you mean Randy’s gone?” John wobbled slightly but then extracted himself from Ted and Cody and began making his way towards Chris and Evan’s room. “I mean he’s not in our room and I followed his scent outside. He’s left his car and his wallet so I doubt he’s just suddenly feeling in the need of a late-night snack.” John was slightly hunched as he walked though both Ted and Cody knew better than to offer to aid him; pride was something that all of them were slaves to after all.

“But where… why would he have gone?” Cody voiced what he was sure they were all thinking and only John had a bad feeling he knew what the reason truly was. They had reached Chris’ room by this point and John banged on the door with more force than was strictly necessary in his agitation. When the door opened a rather pissed off (and ruffled) looking Chris stood in the doorway, no doubt about to tell them all off for their manners and ruckus, when he caught sight of John’s face and the tension all but rolling off of his pack members. “What’s happened?” Immediately he was all business, forgetting about the fact that he had just been interrupted in the midst of what was an incredibly pleasurable massage from his mate, in the face of what he suspected was not a late-night slumber-party decision. “Randy’s gone.” There was a movement behind Chris and a silk-clad, concerned looking Evan appeared behind him. “Gone?” Chris said, feeling a sense of foreboding sparking through him at John’s words as Evan’s small hands rested against his back, silently listening into the conversation the others were having. “Yes, gone. He’s not in the house; he’s left his wallet and the car’s still here.” And being how much Randy adored that car it would take a lot for him not to want to drive it even down the street to the shop. “I don’t know where he’s gone.”

Chris rubbed his hands over his face and took a breath, looking to Cody and Ted, “You two are going to come with me—we’ll see if we can find him.” John looked scandalised for a moment, “And what about me?” Chris shook his head, immediately knowing that John coming with them would only be a liability; through no fault of his own, obviously, but still. “You’re going to stay here—“the way John went red so fast would have been alarming had they had to worry about high blood-pressure. “Like fuck I am!” If his mate was out there somewhere, possibly in danger, then he sure as hell wasn’t going to be staying home and doing nothing. No chance, no way.

“You’re going to stay here, John—“the four other men all shivered, recognising the alpha’s command, unspoken though most assuredly going to be heeded, “—with Evan.” A small sound of surprise and protest left his mate and Chris turned to face him. “You need rest, Puppy,” he said, softly but firmly (subconsciously not wanting a repeat chance for someone to get Evan) keeping the other’s gaze with his own, “—and I need you to stay here and look after John. Can you do that for me?” Evan took a moment to send John a quick look –the other looked furious- but he couldn’t deny Chris any more than the others could and so he nodded, “Yes Chris.” Chris gave his mate’s cheek a gentle pinch and then looked to John and said firmly, “Either go back to yours and Randy’s room, or go downstairs into the living-room. If you need something you ask Evan, rest.” John turned, limping somewhat from the pain due to the way he was having to walk to try and aid himself, obviously going down to the living-room. It was apparent that he would want to be there when something happened when the others came back seeing as how he had been banned from leaving the house and going to aid in the search for his mate.

Chris gently stroked Evan’s hair and murmured, “Go down with him, Ok, Puppy? I’ll have my phone if you need me, and tell John we’ll keep in touch with what happens.” Nodding his head Evan hastened into his and Chris’ room to pull on a t-shirt and some jogging bottoms before heading downstairs after John. The other still wasn’t saying especially much to him but he seemed less closed off than usual. Shaking himself he turned his attention back towards Cody and Ted, “If you two get changed I’ll meet you outside, alright?” the two nodded and turned, hastening back to their own room to change—somehow Chris doubted that Cody was still using the guest-room they had allocated for him as opposed to sharing with his mate. Entering his own room Chris pulled on some jeans and trainers, adding a jacket over the top since the weather seemed a bit chillier than it had been previously. He was downstairs mere minutes before Ted and Cody arrived, similarly dressed, and the three of them headed to follow Randy’s scent. They could trace it, but not as well as if they were in their other forms. For a moment Chris was tempted to have them all change but knew that his own body couldn’t take such an effort yet, and there was every chance that someone might see them and they could really do without any of that aggro coming back to them.

As the three men vanished out of sight John clenched his hands together atop his lap in frustration; the way his knuckles rose up so strongly, stretching the skin that covered them, had Evan worried that they were going to burst right out of John’s hands. Placing one of his own smaller ones gingerly stop John’s own Evan couldn’t help but wince slightly as the other’s head snapped around to look at him. The anger directed towards him that he had been expecting wasn’t there—but tears were. John was genuinely scared and if Evan hadn’t have been worried before he sure as hell was now. “John,” he placed his other hand atop the bigger man’s, searching the teary eyes. “What’s wrong? Do you know where Randy has gone?” he might have just said that he didn’t know because he wasn’t a hundred percent sure, but Evan doubted he’d be so risky with concerns to Randy. “I don’t know where he has gone,” John admitted, voice thick with the desire to break from his alpha’s command and also with his fear and upset, “But I have a feeling I know who he has gone after.” As soon as he said that Evan made a connection of his own, eyes widening. “No…” why would Randy take such a risk? If it was who Evan thought it was, Randy could be in danger. “Edge?”

~:~

The address of the payphone that Edge had been using was burning in his mind as Randy walked with swift, purposeful strides. Walking this distance was nothing to him, though he didn’t risk changing to make the journey go quicker; he didn’t want to give Edge anymore warning than he probably already had by threatening the other’s life and stuff before. Still, after all Edge had done and then after all he had said, the Canadian was even madder than Randy thought for thinking that he’d let the other go. John had calmed his famously fiery temper, but when the one who had been under threat was said mate then not even a tranquiliser could stop Randy when he got started. And, oh, was he going to get started. He was going to do what Chris hadn’t wanted to do all those years ago. He was going to do what he had done only a handful of times before, and only then in extenuating circumstances. He was going to completely and utterly destroy Edge. And he was going to enjoy it.

The wind blew around him, stronger than it had been before and had he not been so focused on his anger then he would probably have noticed the chill as enough to affect him even though those of their kind were slightly hotter than normal—and he meant that in temperature, not looks. Randy stopped, almost like a pointer-dog, and closed his eyes as he tried to pick up the scent. Edge had been there. His scent was faint, denoting that he hadn’t been in the area long, but strong enough that he could pick it up. If someone could see him now (the way he kept stopping and starting and essentially sniffing the air) they would probably call the police on him and say that he was some sort of mentalist or strange pervert, but Randy would be able to deal with them should needs be. However he wasn’t going to be lingering around for long enough to let such a thing happen. He was almost where he needed to be.

When he reached the payphone booth he all but snarled; the man had been gone and his scent was all but washed out by the scents of piss and other bodily functions that he couldn’t ever fathom releasing in a fucking phone-booth—and coming from the man who had taken his lover on the bonnet of their car, in the middle of a summer shower, parked at the side of a rather busy public road without a care for who might have seen, that was saying something. Just as he had been about to put his fist through the glass wall in agitation a flash of something caught the corner of his eye and he wheeled around. There, at the very, very top of the street, was Edge. The man had a bag slung over his shoulder and a slightly twisted smirk on his face. What happened to Randy at that point was almost like the hunter mind-set he had when he was in his other form: he zoned in on Edge, and coiled up with a snarl before breaking into a run as fast as his long legs could take him.

Even with the bag on his shoulder Edge didn’t seem to struggle even slightly as he took off, Randy right behind him. He led the other through the town he had adopted for the time being, and then out into a rather desolate wasteland. Had Randy been thinking rationally he would have wondered why Edge was leading him on such a ‘merry jaunt’ into such desolate locations, but as it was he was just more concerned with getting his hands on Edge and taking the man apart. Edge backtracked after a good while, Randy snarling as he jumped over a large gap in the pavement with next to no effort at all and headed towards the abandoned building that Edge had ducked into. When he entered the warehouse/office type building he stilled, eyes narrowing as he looked around in the dark. He couldn’t make out any other way out and yet at the same time he couldn’t see Edge. Body coiled, ready to attack Randy began to make his way slowly into the large building, looking around slowly, his ears straining for even a small sound that would give the other away.

At the last second he registered something coming towards him and dropped. Edge’s body missed him by mere inches and both men rolled before getting back to their feet. Randy bared his teeth, teetering on the brink of a change. Forcing them hurt like a bitch and he was out of practice somewhat without the aid of the moon, but the way he was feeling right then he didn’t believe he’d have too much trouble at all. However, for some unfathomable reason, Edge was making on move to change. The strange realisation had Randy faltering slightly and the other man seemed to take it as an opening; their bodies collided heavily and Randy ground his teeth and planted his feet to try and take the impact out. Despite his best efforts they both went crashing to the floor and Randy immediately began trying to punch and kick the man over him. He was so concentrated on even trying to rip Edge’s throat out with his own human teeth he missed the fact Edge was holding something.

When the tranquiliser dart was slammed into one of the strong muscles of his thigh Randy snarled, head tossing—connecting with the concrete floor he lay on with a sharp crack that would probably have completely shattered the back of his skull had he been human. With a sudden burst of adrenaline and strength Randy all but launched Edge across the warehouse, forcing himself to his feet. Looking down at himself he saw the dart sticking out from his leg. Was that… What that a fucking animal tranquiliser? Randy ground his teeth together as he yanked the dart out, throwing it across the room and hearing it clatter and roll noisily until it came to a halt. A thick silence descended upon the two men punctuated only by heavy breathing.

It seemed, for several horrifyingly long minutes (as far as Edge was concerned) that the dart hadn’t worked; Randy was still standing across the room from him, poised for a fight and seemingly not about to be swayed from it. Almost as soon as Randy tried to take a step towards him though the tall man went crashing awkwardly down to the floor as his legs gave out. Slowly, cautiously, Edge began to walk towards his one-time pack-brother and looked down at the writhing form. There was a vein throbbing in Randy’s temple and the man was glaring up at him through heavily lidded eyes as the drugs began to make their way through his system. The tall man was trying to raise his arms, to reach for him lips moving slightly in soundless words that he just knew would be threats. Even like this Randy was beautiful and deadly, though the forced vulnerability of the other appealed to Edge in ways that even little Evan hadn’t managed to inspire in him—and he’d been a prime choice indeed.

“Easy there, baby,” Edge cooed, caressing Randy’s cheek with almost greedy fingertips as he watched as Randy slipped into complete unconsciousness. Knowing that he would have to move fast (the night was getting on and if Chris et al hadn’t noticed that Randy was missing yet then they sure as hell would by daybreak) to put some distance between them and whoever-might-come-after-Randy-from-the-pack, Edge shouldered his bag before then using his strength to haul Randy’s limp form into his arms. When Randy awoke he was probably going to try and savage him again, but that was what the handcuffs in his bag were for. When they reached the hotel room that he had booked into he would make sure that he got Randy nice and settled before beginning his ex-lover’s re-education in the new ways. The old ways were what was leaving them vulnerable to the meat-puppets; if they were in charge, the way things should be, then they would be able to breed easier and survive without having to try so hard to adhere to the social norms. He would also hopefully have Randy snapped out of the brainwashing Chris and this muscle-head fellow must have done to convince the other that he was his mate. Randy didn’t need a mate: he just needed Edge.

Whistling to himself almost jovially, Edge headed out of the warehouse and made his way back to the main streets where he had had his car parked. Before he could make his way towards it though he registered other presences in the area; presences that he knew very well indeed, though one more-so than the other. Cursing (and almost dropping Randy) he quickened his stride and unlocked the car before bundling Randy into the backseat and then throwing himself into the front and slamming the door behind him as fast as he possibly could and pressing himself down into the space underneath the dashboard. How the fuck had they known so fast? Shit, it had taken Randy at least 45 minutes to find him, and now Chris and his little lapdogs had… he ground his teeth together and took a breath to steel himself before chancing a peak over the top of the dash out of the windscreen.

There, heading towards him, were Chris, Ted and Cody. They all seemed to be searching, though weren’t looking in the right direction. Sensing that he had an opportunity (they couldn’t chase cars the way they could people) Edge eased the keys into the ignition and then all but bounced into the driver’s seat before turning the key in to work the ignition. The headlights turned on and Edge saw that the three men immediately turned towards them. Even though there was a pretty decent distance between them he was almost able to pinpoint the exact moment where Chris realised he was the one behind the wheel. The cocky smirk that had been on Edge’s face died rather swiftly though when the engine didn’t rumble into life the way he had been expecting; the car stalled. And then the car stalled again. Panic began to filter through Edge’s veins and he slammed his foot onto the accelerator and all but broke the key in his anxiety. Just as the three men reached him though the engine finally came to life and Edge slammed his foot onto the accelerator, reversing as fast as he could.

~:~

At first his dreams were pleasant (and, admittedly, a little kinky, a little like a memory even…) seeing himself and Wade merely sitting together in a field, enjoying the warm summer air and gently caressing and kissing one another—and then just as suddenly the image changed to one dark night wherein tension was so thick in the air that he could barely breathe with the force of it. Terrified, Justin’s head whipped to the side –praying that he wasn’t going to see what he thought he’d see, but his prayers went unanswered- to find himself looking at little Evan. Unlike he looking at the similarly heighted/built male, the other was looking at something straight ahead of them. Justin followed the line of his gaze and felt nausea well in his stomach as he saw a large black wolf and an oddly blonde wolf circling one another, low growls and snarls rumbling from deep within both of the animals’ throats. And then, the smaller lunged suddenly with a sickening snarl.

Wade was forced back from the pleasant abyss of sleep rather abruptly when he sensed that something was wrong. His eyes widened as soon as he caught up with himself and saw that Justin was whimpering in his sleep, flashing and flailing. Had it not been for the fact that the other was clearly sleeping, eyes shut and breathing too laboured and erratic to be conscious, he would have thought that Justin was awake when the other whimpered his name. “Justin—Angel—“Wade’s eyes widened as he saw that there were tears trickling down Justin’s cheeks slowly from underneath closed eyelids. Had he been in his other form Wade knew the other would have been curled up, whimpering, running on the spot to chase something that he apparently couldn’t reach. Another piteous moan of his name left those beautiful lips in such a heart-wrenching manner that Wade was rendered momentarily immobile.

“Angel, Angel!” Wade gently, but firmly, took hold of the smaller man’s shoulders and began to shake him, pulling him into an upright position. Justin started to struggle against him, obviously still trapped in his nightmare, until finally, finally, Wade’s voice managed to get to him. As consciousness all but slapped Justin into awareness the smaller man continued to thrash and flail until he realised who was holding him. Choking on a sob Justin flung his arms around Wade’s neck and all but clung to the other with his entire body. “W-Wade!” he cried. One of Wade’s arms wrapped securely around Justin’s waist as the other clung to him, the other curling in thick dark hair as he tried to soothe his precious Angel. “Justin, it’s Ok… I’m here, Angel, I’m here. Wadey’s got you…” he couldn’t remember the last time that private little nickname had been used between them and he felt a sense of loss. Before Edge had begun his vindictive attempts to break their relationship Justin had called him that all the time, whether they were alone or not. It had been his special name for him, reminiscent of their childhood.

~:~

Alberto watched as Ricardo went off to do… whatever it was he did whenever he was doing what Alberto asked of him. Sure, Ricardo’s often slavish devotion even got on his nerves sometimes (particularly when the other seemed to coincidentally interrupt him and Christian in as many private moments as possible) but the way the man could stroke his large ego on cue made up for his otherwise irritating short-comings. The Mexican ran a hand through his hair, the usually careful style messy with the lateness of the night, looking to the plasma that he had been watching—whilst fervently praying that there were no news bulletins concerning a certain blonde, Canadian bounty hunter. Now, Alberto had faith that Ricardo would find out what he needed right away; the money he had at his disposal via his employer meant that he had more than enough to ensure that things could be done as necessary. If needs be Ricardo could break out a couple of their PI’s and they would find his elusive little Chihuahua swiftly.

Now, for all his ego and narcissism, Alberto wasn’t stupid: he knew that his arrogance and temperament could annoy people sometimes and that was probably one of the most predominant things other than Christian’s pride and his own inability to open up to people that meant he and Christian hadn’t progressed further as a couple. And, yes, Alberto did want that. In his pre-Christian days he had been happy enough to take business acquaintances to his bed, or little showy tricks that liked an evening in the lap of luxury and have no more to do with them than one time… but for Christian he wanted more than one time. The thought of Christian being involved with another man romantically drove him wild, sent his mind whirling on all sorts of ‘what if’s?’ and ‘buts’, torturing himself over wondering what this stranger had that he didn’t that Christian would be so enamoured with.

Sleep was going to be impossible for him that night considering it was already so late and he was winding himself up with thoughts that had crossed his mind a thousand and one times before. He threw himself onto his large, gold velvet sheeted (hey, only real men could have velvet sheets) bed and pressed his face into one of the down-filled pillows. The coldness of the pillow soothed the headache that he could feel coming on, eyes closing blissfully as he allowed himself a few minutes of quiet. The next thing he was aware of was someone shaking him. As he opened his eyes he found himself confronted by Ricardo—and the man momentarily had a very strange, almost wistful, expression on his face. When he realised that Alberto was awake though he hastily schooled his features and cleared his throat softly, straightening up once more and reporting, “We have located Signor Cage, sir.”

Why Ricardo refused to call Christian by his name Alberto didn’t know, though he suspected there must have been some sort of jealousy spurring it. Immediately Alberto rolled onto his back, pushing himself into a sitting position afterwards. “And where is he?” he demanded, Ricardo internally frowning at the light that only ever seemed to appear in Alberto’s eyes whenever someone so much as mentioned Christian’s name. “He appears to be on his way home, sir. We tracked him through the device you had planted in his car.” Oh yeah… he had almost forgotten about that. He had had the device installed by his first-class mechanics when he had offered to have Christian’s car checked over one time not long after they had first been dating and he had somehow managed to get one of his front lights smashed into pieces and the front of his car dented. To his knowledge Christian hadn’t discovered the item (and, tch, what did Alberto care that it was an infringement of Christian’s personal space and privacy?) and seeing as how they had managed to get a reading it was safe to assume that this assertion was correct. “Heading to his home…” Alberto murmured, “Are you sure?”

Christian didn’t live too far away from himself and so he could easily be there within a few hours. When he expressed this view to Ricardo though his assistant could have looked less than enthused and he immediately began formulating reasons in his mind as to how he could make Alberto reconsider this course of action. “Sir,” Ricardo began as smoothly as possible, “—if your friend,” his nose wrinkled slightly, “—has been away working and is returning so late then surely he would need some rest and would appreciate you calling on him some other time.” Alberto (who had been in the process of shrugging on a suit jacket to compliment that slacks and shirt he was still dressed in) seemed to falter slightly and Ricardo knew that he had to press his advantage; anything to keep his boss from consorting with that blonde more than absolutely necessary. “Ricardo—“he didn’t like being dissuaded from his desired actions and Ricardo knew that better than anyone so he was surprised that the smaller man actually had the gall to do so. “Si, sir, think about it—surely you wish him to be recovered?”

He appeared to have used a bit of a volatile word because Alberto immediately seemed to get this expression on his face that denoted he was about to get the secret police force who were on his payroll to go and fetch Christian in a heartbeat and escort him back there. Holding his hands up to soothe the other Ricardo then began trying to get Alberto back to bed. Had he not known how much trouble he would be in for not telling Alberto news on Christian as soon as they had it he would have left him to sleep… his employer had been acting almost like a sick puppy recently; despondent, barely touching his food and only perking whenever someone mentioned a certain man’s name. It took some time, some wheedling, but Ricardo eventually managed to get Alberto undressed and tucked into bed, assuring the man he’d have Christian picked up by one of their driver’s first thing in the morning.

It felt as though he had barely been asleep moments when something soft, warm and undeniably appealing was running up the side of his throat and then fleetingly brushing against his own lips. Puzzled, out of it, Alberto forced himself back to awareness and found himself confronted with a momentarily blurry image that he could only make out one aspect of clearly: blonde hair. His eyes had drifted closed again but as soon as ‘blonde hair’ registered in his mind his eyes flew open, all traces of sleep leaving them.

Straddling him, and looking delectable (though admittedly somewhat worn out and… were his eyes a little glassy?) was the very man who he had been intending to have in his bed before that lunchtime. “Chri-Christian?” Alberto still couldn’t quite bring himself to believe that the man was really, truly there, even though the warm weight settled atop his waist attested to it being either real or a stunningly good illusion. The wrongly accented (but oddly sexy) Spanish that was murmured into his ear in turn had him hardening in record time and Alberto gave a low growl in his throat before gripping Christian around the waist, flipping them so that he was atop the other and then slamming their lips together hungrily.

“He promised Ev,” said John, his voice not even sounding like his own, thickened with worry and fright. “He promised me he wasn’t gonna go looking for Edge and now he’s... gone. Where else would he be? And how would he even know where to start looking? If I were him, I’d be a thousand miles away by now.”

Evan remembered being in that room with the other pack; most of his attention had been taken by Justin and Wade, but it had been down to Edge that he hadn’t gotten away – Edge, who had brought them up to be that way. There had been something in Edge’s eyes that had worried him immensely, a kind of manic happiness that his plan had been working. But his thoughts on Edge had been rather overshadowed by his more immediate concerns and he hadn’t made any further judgements, other than that the blonde was completely without scruples.

And being with John at that moment, he felt a gnawing guilt. Was this how Chris had been when he’d gone missing? Of course it was, the only difference being that Chris had been in a position to chase after him, while John could only wait and worry. He knew that wasn’t the reason that Chris had left him with John, but it still rather haunted him to think that his own mate had been through the same uncertainty and fear so recently. 

“They had my phone,” he said, rather slowly, just making the connection. “Edge could have got Randy’s number from it, perhaps used that to lure him out.” Oh hell. If anything happened to Randy, then that was on his head too. His one simple act of trust in the wrong person could have completely fucked up two-thirds of the pack. 

John seemed to sense how Evan was feeling, because he turned slightly in his seat and looked Evan in the eyes. “Don’t even think about taking responsibility for this one Bourne,” he warned. “Because regardless of your phone being stolen, this one’s down to Edge trying to fuck with us – and that damned hot-headed mate of mine...” He took a deep breath, hating his own inability to act more than ever in that moment. He wanted to call Chris, find out what was going on, but he couldn’t risk it. He had to trust that the other would be in touch with him the moment they found Randy safe. Which they would. The alternative was too terrible to even consider. 

“If Edge lured Randy into a trap, then the rest of the pack could be waiting to ambush him.” John’s knew he was thinking the worst, but he didn’t know how else to think right then. “But he’d smell them and—“ He wanted to say that Randy wouldn’t show himself if he smelled others, but when Randy worked himself into a rage, then he wouldn’t allow twenty werewolves to stop him from getting at Edge. And that kind of anger could be fatal. 

“No.” Even shook his head emphatically, seeing the look that John gave him and elaborating. “Wade, uh, called the phone earlier. The one we give out to wolves passing through?” He hated the way his voice cracked slightly on the man’s name, but it was hard for him to recover from the fear he felt when Wade had allowed Justin to take him away – or when the Brit had licked that stripe up his neck, leaving his scent. 

“Wade called!?” John’s eyes widened. “I can’t believe the – the audacity!”

Evan managed a weak smile. “Yeah, well, he had some kind of reason. He said the pack had disbanded and he wasn’t out to get any kind of revenge for Chris beating him. But he did say that not everyone was happy about it and he mentioned Edge specifically. If Edge really is after some kind of revenge, then he’s acting alone.”

John gave a shrug. “How can we be sure it’s not a trick? That he isn’t just saying it to put us off guard?”

“We don’t know for sure I guess.” Evan chewed his lip a little, wondering if his own acceptance of what had been said was due to him never, ever wanting to see Wade again, and certainly not the man Wade refused to call his mate and yet so clearly was. “But Chris seems to think he’s on the level. Some kind of alpha-to-alpha thing. And I don’t know, he seemed sincere to me too. And why bother giving any kind of warning at all, when he knows how much suspicion it’s gonna get him?”

John shook his head. “God, I don’t know. I’m just so worried...” He started to get up. “I’m gonna go after the scent, I can track it better than anyone.”

“No, don’t.” Evan grabbed John’s hand and pulled him firmly back onto the couch. “You know you’re in no condition to chase him and you’ll be in no condition to help him if you try. When he gets back, probably he won’t even have found Edge. It’ll be something else completely and we’ll all feel stupid for over-reacting. And then kick his ass for worrying us.”

“Kick his ass, that’s not half of what I’m gonna do to him.” John tried to chuckle, but his heart wasn’t in it. Evan could tell that John didn’t believe that Randy had gone out for some innocent reason and in truth, Evan didn’t believe that either. “I’m gonna throttle him, I’m gonna scream at him for roughly four hours – right after I kiss him ‘til he can’t breathe anymore.” He took a shuddering breath. “Ev?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m really scared. And I hate feeling this – this helpless. I need to know he’s safe.”

Evan put an arm around John’s broad shoulders, drawing the other man closer to him and disregarding just how much he had needed to shun physical contact in the last few days. “Chris will bring him back safe,” he said softly. “I know he will.”


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two: You Are My Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Take an unconscious wolf, a fast car with another panicked wolf driving, and three pissed off pack-mates, and you have yourself a rescue.

They were almost at the car when the engine finally roared into life, reversing at speed away from them. Ted didn’t allow himself to think, if he had considered his actions he would have hesitated and then they might have lost Edge altogether. Instead he raced after the car, hitting his top speed rapidly – those months of rambling around the country had helped out his stamina and leg muscles and as a result, he soon outpaced Cody and Chris. He met Edge’s eyes through the window, the other man looking both furious and mildly fearful. There was no way Ted could outrun a car if it was going forward; he needed to act before Edge managed to turn. With that in mind, he redoubled his efforts and leapt, landing on the bonnet and digging his fingers into the metal, the digits sinking into it just as easily as if it had been putty. Edge’s eyes widened but Ted barely noticed, his attention was taken by the figure lying in the backseat, clearly unconscious. There was no mistaking the man, it was Randy and he was in big trouble. 

“Randy’s in there!” he yelled, gripping onto the car for dear life – Edge had actually sped up and it was a lot harder to hold onto a moving car than the movies would have Ted believe, super strength or no. He didn’t dare risk a look behind him in case Edge tried something and he missed it, this was the man who had shot John with a silver bullet after all. He just had to trust that Cody and Chris had his back. 

Edge swerved the car, clipping the side of the pavement and Ted slipped on the bonnet, only his grip on the metal keeping him from sliding off altogether. Edge smirked in satisfaction, swerving to the other side of the road as Ted fought to get on all fours again. There was an intersection coming up and Edge was heading right for it, as soon as he had the room to turn then he would do so and speed out of there, probably managing to lose Ted’s precarious grip as he did so. And then there would be no way for them to find Randy, by the time they got a car. It might take them days to find him or they might not find him at all – and not only could Ted not bear to face John and tell him how close they’d come, but Randy had been probably his closest friend since the moment he had got into the pack. Much as they teased and tormented each other, Ted had always admired Randy and there was no one, no one, who was going to take his pack brother from them.

Clinging to the car with his left hand, he raised his right hand and made a fist, almost convinced that this wasn’t going to work and horribly aware of the wind whipping through his hair as the car seemed to gain even more speed. He had just time to see Edge’s eyes widen and the man take one hand from the wheel to shield his eyes before he punched his fist right through the windshield. 

The safety glass splintered and Ted’s fist left a ragged hole in the drivers side. Ignoring the slight pain as the sharp edges of the hole ripped at his clothes and arm, he lunged forward to try to grab at Edge’s throat.

Edge panicked. He slammed on the handbrake, whipping the car into a skidding turn that overshot a hundred eighty degrees and thudded against the pavement a second time. Ted crashed onto the bonnet again, fingers tearing through the metal and blood flowing freely from his arm as he was almost dislodged a second time, keeping his hold through instinct alone. His slightly inglorious landing winded him a little and by the time he got to his knees again, arm still through the hole in the glass, Edge had taken both hands off the wheel, reaching for the bag on the passenger side. The skid had dislodged Randy too; the man had fallen from the backseat and to the floor. The sudden change of position didn’t seem to have shaken him from his unconscious state. 

Shaking off his daze, Ted tried to widen the gap in the windshield so that he could get both arms through, his whole body, go after Edge proper – and suddenly froze as he saw Edge pulling a gun out of his bag. To Ted’s shocked eyes, it seemed huge and vaguely futuristic and his mind slid alarmingly to the night John had been shot by this man. With a silver bullet. If one of those went through his brain, he could forget about ever seeing Cody again, hearing the other murmuring his love in his ear – he could forget about everything, because there was no way he could survive something like that. Old, almost-forgotten instincts that told him to flee tried to overtake him and he fought them off grimly. If he ran now, then Randy would be lost to them.

There was a thud, then another, coming from the roof of the car. Edge’s head whipped upward; clearly he had forgotten that he wasn’t dealing with a lone wolf here. Snarling, he grabbed the handbrake, released it – and then a hand swung down, shattering the back window. Edge started driving again, forward this time, one hand on the steering wheel, the other taking aim with the gun directly at Ted. Not at his head, Ted noticed rather hysterically, but at the arm he had managed to get through the window. Was Edge going to blow his hand off, leave him crippled for life? Again his instincts told him to get the hell out of there and again he ignored them, trying to widen the gap and grab for Edge again. 

There was another smashing sound from the back window and Cody fell through it, feet first, landing in the back seat and bleeding from several small cuts the glass had made to his exposed skin. Edge turned his attention to the younger man, the car going through the intersection without slowing. Ted had never been so relieved to have no traffic around in his life, but that comfort was overshadowed by the fear that shot through him as Edge turned in the seat, never taking his foot off the accelerator. The car lurched rather unevenly, Edge’s attention clearly not on the road as they started to drift to the left.

As Edge raised the gun in Cody’s direction, Ted found a new burst of strength and punched his other hand through the window, grabbing for Edge and getting double-handfuls of long blonde hair. Edge yelped and his gun hand wavered; Cody grabbed hsi wrist and snapped it back painfully. This time Edge yelled in both fury and pain, his grip weakening and Cody snatched the gun from him.

“We’re running out of road!” Chris yelled from the roof.

Cody didn’t hesitate; he aimed roughly at Edge’s neck at almost point-blank range and fired. A dart shot from it and lodged into his throat, Edge looking stunned and reaching to pull it out before lunging over the seat at Cody. His foot came off the accelerator and the car started to slow, but much too slowly for Ted’s liking. He dragged back on Edge’s hair, feeling a sudden lack of resistance as the blonde man went unexpectedly limp, collapsing half-on the drivers seat, half on the floor. Cody dropped the gun onto Randy’s inert form, gave a silent apology to the man as he trod on his midsection and lunged forward to slam on the handbrake. Without a proper grip, this time Ted really did fall from the car, narrowly avoiding being crushed by Chris who slid onto the bonnet a moment later. For a moment Ted expected that the car would simply keep moving and run him over but it had already stopped – not so Ted, who hit the asphalt and rolled several times, finally coming to a halt several feet from the car and lying for a moment, groaning.

“TED!”

Ted’s head rose at the sound of panic in Cody’s voice. He was dazed, suffering from what felt like roughly a thousand minor cuts and abrasions, he was pretty sure he was going to ache for a while – but he was alive and moving and nothing seemed to be broken. Had he been human, that would have been unlikely. “I’m fine,” he called, then let his head drop back to the ground with a groan. 

“Well don’t just lie there then DiBiase.” Chris slid neatly off the car and ripped open the drivers side door, grabbing Edge none-too-gently and checking his pulse. “This might not be a residential area, but there’s no way something like that didn’t go unnoticed. We’re not that lucky. We’d better get outta here, now.”

Bitching under his breath, Ted dragged himself to his feet, limping over to the car and meeting Cody’s worried gaze. He managed a smile.

“Cody,” said Chris, his voice mild on top, steely concern beneath. “How’s Randy doing back there?”

“Breathing,” said Cody, who’d seen the steady rise and fall of Randy’s chest even as he crashed through the back window. He leaned down and rested a finger against the pulse in Randy’s neck. “He seems fine. He’s just not waking up.”

“Edge must have used one of these on him,” said Chris, plucking the dart from Edge’s throat and checking it out between two fingers. “How did you know this would knock him out?” 

“I didn’t.” Cody sounded a little shaky. “I just wanted to incapacitate him before he got us all killed.”

Startled, Chris looked up at Cody. He hadn’t thought the kid was like that – but when it came to his mate and his pack, it looked like Cody was more ruthless than he had initially believed. Or maybe it was just the heat of the moment making him act that way. Either way, Chris was glad for Cody’s sake that Edge hadn’t been killed – although considering that they now had to work out where to go from there, maybe it hadn’t been such a good thing after all. 

Ted leaned heavily against the car. “What are we gonna do with him?”

Frowning, Chris reached past the unconscious Edge and snatched the man’s bag. There were a couple of bottles of water, two different brands he noticed. He would just bet that one was reserved for Randy and he suspected there was more than water in those. A pair of handcuffs gleamed dully in the street lights and Chris growled quietly. Edge had planned this and had it not been for John, he probably would have pulled it off too. And they would have been none the wiser as to what had happened to Randy.

He picked the cuffs up, carelessly throwing Edge’s inert body into the steering wheel and dragging his arms behind his back, cuffing the wrists together. Ted looked shocked. “Chris, shit! What are you doing?”

“We can’t just leave him here,” Chris said, snatching Edge by the scruff of his neck and tossing him roughly into the backseat. Edge slid straight back off the seat and onto the floor, the uncomfortable looking position making Ted wince. “He might just decide to try something else and I’m getting fucking sick of watching my back for this assclown. And if cops show up, there might be questions – or he might hurt someone.”

 

“So we’re taking him back with us.” There was serious disbelief in Ted’s voice. 

“Ted, I’ve got no better ideas.” Chris sighed, going to the back door and opening it, pulling Randy onto the seat with far more care than he’d used on the other man. “Cody, get in the front. I’ll ride in the back with these two. If one of them decides to come to, it’s better that I deal. Ted, you drive. Actually no, Cody, you’re in better shape, you drive.”

“If the cops see us driving with no windows—“ Cody began.

“Then we’ll have to deal with it.” Chris climbed over Randy, sighing and closing his eyes a moment. “Home, Jeeves.”

Ted got into the passenger side and Cody started the car, which didn’t sound too healthy but still better than it looked. “Teddy?” he said quietly. “You know when you jumped the car and punched through the windshield?”

“Yeah?”

“That was really hot.” Cody grinned mischievously and drove off.

Chris rolled his eyes. “Kids.”

“You’re just jealous because you didn’t do anything that looked that cool.” Ted glanced back at Chris and grinned a moment, his hand going to Cody’s thigh and resting there. Then his expression grew more serious. “Uh... so, what are we gonna do with Edge? I mean, are we gonna keep him at the manor or find somewhere to dump him or – kill him?”

Chris let out a long breath. “I really don’t know Ted. I’ve never had to kill anyone before.” His eyes went to Randy, then to Edge slumped on the floor. “But John has. And Edge tried to take his mate from him. And Randy wasn’t out here tonight to give him a stern talking to. Honestly?” He looked back up at Ted. “When we get back to the manor – I don’t like his chances.”

~~~

Needless to say, when a car pulled into the drive Evan was up and at the window immediately, looking out into the darkness; he reminded John on the puppy he was nicknamed after with that movement. However, his amusement and fondness was short-lived as he heard Evan gasp.

He didn’t get a chance to question what was wrong because almost immediately the front door was opening. When Ted and Cody appeared (both of them cut and bleeding, Ted’s one arm cradled towards his body protectively) John was immediately frantic—but then when he realised that they were carrying the unconscious body of his mate he felt a whole new level of panic welling in him. A whimper emitted from deep within John’s throat, his anger at his mate’s irresponsible actions foreshadowed for the moment.

Grunting softly with the effort of carrying Randy with one good arm, Ted tried to flash his friend what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “He’s alright John—there’s not a mark on him, but from the looks of things Edge tranqued him.” Ok, maybe that didn’t come out as soothing as he’d intended, but in his own defence the pain in his arm was making him feel a little lightheaded. Cody sent his mate a concerned look before moving with him to deposit Randy onto the sofa that John had just vacated, Evan scrambling forwards to help once he had recovered himself. The way Randy’s chest rose and fell only provided him with a minor comfort right then, the man’s lack of response terrifying him.

At that point in time John was too focused upon Randy (and Ted and Cody) to notice that Chris had yet to come in, but Evan noticed his mate’s absence and felt his own panic forming as he hastened out into the hallway—seeing Chris dragging an unconscious and cuffed Edge behind him by one of his ankles nearly had Evan laughing hysterically at the rather obscene image as well as coiling back in fear in the face of the psycho who had caused so much damage to so many lives aside from their own. “Chris--?” the question was clear in his voice and Chris regretted that he couldn’t provide Evan more of a reason than he had to the others.

“I couldn’t let him just stay there, Evvy. He’s too dangerous.” Seeing the way Evan was coiling back Chris held his other hand out to him. “He can’t hurt you, baby, he’s knocked out… and quite hard if the tranq that we used on him was the same thing that he used on Randy given what just happened.” As Evan’s lips started to open (no doubt to ask him exactly what had gone down) Chris gently hushed him. “Not now. Can you help me, Puppy?”

Although Chris was sufficiently less injured from the encounter than Ted and Cody were he still hadn’t completely recovered from his own wounds and as such he was still a little off of his game when it came to handling things. Chris was a proud man and he hated showing weakness, especially to Evan, considering that he had to be strong for the man, but since Evan’s attack he had noted he seemed to get more of a response from the smaller when he opened himself up in somewhat uncomfortable moments. Nodding (though being incredibly reluctant to touch Edge and making a mental note of where he had last seen their hand sanitizer) Evan moved to grab Edge’s shoulders, lifting him from the floor. “Why aren’t you just dragging him?”

The question broke a slight smirk from Chris as he indicated their expensive carpets, carrying Edge past the living-room door by this point, “Those carpets cost more than this cretin’s worth; such filth wouldn’t be in our home normally and even though circumstances are demanding it, I don’t want Edge coming into contact here with more than necessary.” There was a part of him that was admittedly tempted to just lock Edge in their basement and let him starve to death. It was only as Chris, carrying Edge’s feet, passed by the door that everything seemed to freeze.

Cody was the first one to see when John had finally torn his attention away from Randy’s limp form to realise just who had been brought into their pack home. He moved at the same time John did; grabbing his friend around the middle just above his wound and trying to lock his stance to forestall the bigger man, “John, no!” Ted hastened to help his mate when he noticed that he was actually taken off of his feet momentarily as John began to thrash, trying to get to Edge.

The snarling that was rumbling up from John’s chest was as deep and angry as thunder and the look in his eyes was pure unadulterated fury. It was obvious though that John was hurting himself, because even if his mind wasn’t registering it right then, John was folding in on himself somewhat the more and more that he was struggling, and his skin was turning peaky with the effort that he exerting. “Let me go!” John snarled, eyes fixated on the body that Chris and Evan were both holding. “John,” Chris’ tone was understanding but most assuredly firm, “Control yourself!” the language that came from John’s mouth in response to this was actually shocking, and when Ted and Cody faltered John tried to free himself again.

~:~

When Randy began to stir he found himself aware of two things: one, his head hurt like fuck, and two, wherever he was it was incredibly fucking loud. Slowly, he roused himself a little more, almost falling off of the couch as he tried to get his bearings. When his eyes opened he saw something that he would have been immediately freaking out about had he not been so out of it on the tranq that Edge had gotten him with: John, being physically restrained by Cody and Ted, and the expression on his face would be the definition of pure murder. It seemed that Chris holding onto something (from his vantage point on the couch he couldn’t see anything) and whatever it was that Chris was holding onto John was freaking out to fuck about it. “Let me at him! Let me at that son-of-a-bitch!” John really did seem about to dislodge Cody and Ted, the two young men valiantly trying to plant his feet, and Randy supposed he’d better help out.

“John—“his lover was going to seriously hurt himself in his present state if he didn’t stop him soon enough. Actually, why the hell hadn’t someone tranqued him to keep him down? Not that Randy would enjoy such a thing happening to his lover but if it would prevent him from hurting himself he’d put up with it. And then, suddenly, he realised that this meant that John apparently realised that he had been gone—and if his temper was anything to go by at that point Randy had a feeling he knew why as well.

And, sure enough, when he sat up (the drug in the tranq wearing off mercifully fast now he was awake) he saw that Evan and Chris were trying to haul Edge’s unconscious body out of the room whilst trying to keep John away from him as Cody and Ted tried to keep hold of him. “John—“he started, though realised that his voice had barely come out right as no one had barely noticed him, “John Felix Anthony Cena—“he started a bit more comprehensible this time and everyone seemed to freeze as one and turn in his direction. “—what are you doing?” John was looking a strange mix between flushed and peaky, sweating so much he was shining under the low lamplight of the living-room, and the eyes that focused on him were aflame. Had the situation not been so serious then Randy would have been on his hands and knees and offering himself to the man in moment.

He could count the number of times he had seen that look in John’s eyes on one hand and he wished that the situation was different. “Randal Keith Orton.” Randy felt his slight smirk dropping a little as his lover used his full name in return, alerting him to the fact that his lover was beyond pissed off with him and he’d better watch himself. John might be injured but he knew that the man would kick his arse without preamble if he felt so inclined to do so. And, well, alright, he was a bit embarrassed about it since the others were there to see it.

John managed to pull himself free of Ted and Cody, wobbling slightly as pain truly began to register with him from his still-starting-to-heal-abdomen nausea welling in him momentarily. He refused to let someone aid him though, his fury feeding his pride and keeping upright even though there was a part of him that wanted to fall into the Randy’s arms and just be held before taking the other upstairs and reassuring himself that the other was well and truly alright. However, at that moment in time, his mate had been wayward and the alpha-complex that they all carried within them with regards to their mate was screaming at him to do something about the insubordination and reckless actions Randy had partaken in.

Looking to his alpha John managed a thin, “Chris, would you excuse us please?” Although the alpha was keeping a careful eye on him to make sure he didn’t attack Edge, John knew that he was also going to keeping an eye on him to make sure that he didn’t do anything to Randy… not that he really could. No serious damage, not really; no true mates could do such a thing to one another. “Alright, John.” Chris nodded, giving the other permission to leave even though everyone present knew that Chris was hardly in any position to be expecting too much from John right then. It was on the tip of Randy’s tongue to tell John to stop being so stupid, or to calm down, but one look in his lover’s eyes stopped him.

“Randy. Come with me. Now.” Had the situation not been so serious then Ted would have found it amusing to see the cocky and confident Randy Orton brought into line with one simple command from John, as well as a look. Cody shifted a little closer to his mate as Randy and John left the room; the atmosphere in the room would have had all of their furs standing on end and their ears would have been flattened against their heads, for that was a bad vibe if ever they’d experienced one. John and Randy went through the side door, no doubt a choice by John to keep him from being closer to Edge and no doubt wanting to rip his head from his shoulders.

~~~

John led Randy back up the stairs, obviously seeking some sort of privacy via their room, and whenever Randy tried to aid John the older man would shrug him off. Randy actually felt hurt by the rebuttals but understood them on many levels. John was as stubborn as he could be sometimes, and this time Randy could admit that he had been stupid. He didn’t know totally what had gone on, but he could put the pieces together, and had it not been for his friends he’d be… well, he had no idea what Edge had had in mind for after he had kidnapped him. And that was a rather unnerving thought. He was sure that he could have taken Edge if it came down to it, but that was if you considered a fair fight as opposed to him being drugged beforehand. Edge was a sick bastard and whatever might have happened Randy had a bad feeling about it. “John—“the growl that sounded had him shutting his mouth at an irritatingly fast pace, bowing his head somewhat subconsciously.

Upon entering their room John stood before the bed; the thick duvet and down pillows looked so inviting but he refused to yield to the temptation, for he knew if he let things go between them now then he would never want to revisit them. Hearing the door click shut behind his mate he took a few breaths, eyes closing as he tried to calm himself. He was not a man who got angry easily and the fact he was straining so badly to keep calm showed he was really, very angry. Exhaling a heavy breath and knowing that he was due for some serious grovelling, Randy started, “John-John, baby, I’m sorry, I—“the slap that connected with his cheek was very diluted, barely enough to cause a stinging sensation for thirty seconds and no lingering marks, but it was enough to shock Randy more-so than anything else that had happened that night. However, he didn’t retaliate, because he knew that he deserved that. Fuck, one slap was nothing, he deserved even worse.

Immediately John had tears in his eyes at the fact he had hit Randy and from belated fear that had been coursing through his veins like ice-water upon seeing that Randy was gone. “You—I should fucking well—you—“John couldn’t even get the words out because he was trying so hard not to cry. He could count on one hand the number of times he’d cried before someone since aged ten… and he could count on 0 fingers how many times he had cried before Randy. He hadn’t even cried that day when he had thought he was a) going to die and b) going to get savaged by a wolf beforehand. Randy felt himself beginning to tear up himself as he moved forward, “Baby—“this time John didn’t push him away when he touched him, instead pulling him in close. For a moment he considered that he might hurt John, but the other was locking his arms around him in turn and pulling him in close. “You fucking frightened me to death!” John’s words were muffled against his neck, but Randy heard each one clearly, John shaking slightly in his arms through his own physical pain as well as emotional.

“When I woke up and you were gone… how could you be so bloody stupid after everything that’s happened? And then I couldn’t even come and help look for you ‘cause Chris made me and Evan stay here, and then Ted and Cody came in carrying you and I thought you were fucking dead for a minute and that wanker’s in our home and—“John’s tirade was cut off as Randy’s mouth covered his own in a deep kiss that momentarily overshadowed everything that he was feeling right then as he sought refuge in the sensation of Randy’s kiss. His hands gripped at his mate’s shoulders as he returned the kiss with as much feeling as he could, a tear trickling down his finely-boned cheek.

~~~~~~~~

“Do you think they’ll be alright?” Cody murmured to Ted, his lover’s hand enveloping his own as they headed out of the living-room and followed Evan and Chris down into the basement. “I think they will be… but at the moment I don’t blame John even a little bit for being angry. If it was you who’d gone off…” he went quiet and Cody gave him a small squeeze; he understood what his lover was getting at and didn’t need him to elaborate any further, for he would have been freaking out had Ted been the one to go psycho-hunting. “Come on, we need to get cleaned up…” Ted led Cody to find a first-aid kit.

In the basement Chris was using a length of rope as well as the handcuffs to secure Edge to an old wooden chair. Evan was lingering back, watching the older man. “Chris…” he moved towards his mate when the other pulled back and found himself pulled into a hug so tight that he was all but lifted off of his feet for several long moments. “Chris!” he squeaked slightly, arms going around his mate’s shoulders for balance more-so than anything else at that moment in time. He tensed in the hold at first, surprised and also a little wary of contact still, though he relaxed as his own relief overtook him and he held his mate close and pressed his face into his neck.

“He ain’t going nowhere.” Chris murmured, obviously referring to Edge who was still knocked out (Evan dreaded to think how long whatever had been used on him and Randy lasted and the thought of being drugged as such made him shudder lightly) and Evan nodded his head slightly to acknowledge that he had heard the other, “—so there’s no point in us lingering down here. I’ll be down to have a word with him later.” By this point he was leading Evan out of the basement and back up to the main part of the house, “Much later.” They had been running around like headless chickens thanks to Edge and his cohorts and their little games (though he was letting Wade off in this instance since he and Justin seemed to be being true to the warning Wade had sent them) so now Edge could wait for them.

“Let me look after you, Chris.” Evan said softly, seeing the nicks, grazes and bruises that his lover was sporting. He had noticed Ted and Cody were equally injured, but they were no doubt dealing with one another so he wouldn’t need to intrude there. Chris looked surprised, but then his eyes softened, “Thank you, Puppy.” He murmured softly as he shut the basement door… and then locked it just for his own personal satisfaction. He’d take some food down to Edge later. Maybe. Soon, he found himself sitting topless atop his and Evan’s bed as Evan checked him over for injuries—he wondered whether the smell of cleaning and disinfecting products would ever be removed from his sensitive nose.

~:~

Evan ran his fingers lightly over Chris’ bare torso, checking out his injuries carefully. There were some bruises and minor cuts, but it looked like Chris had gotten off luckier than the last time he had gone against the other and his pack – only this time, it seemed that Edge was alone. That fit in with what Wade had said at least and that made Evan feel oddly better. Had there really been some lie going on and Wade had gone for payback with Justin no doubt still at his side, then Evan wouldn’t have been able to be nearly so calm. Still, the sight of Chris’ injuries, minor as they were, made his hands shake minutely and took him back to that night when he should have been able to take care of his mate properly, only he’d been in no fit state to do anything. Between him, the other pack, John’s injury, Randy’s impetuousness and the way things had been between Cody and Ted less than a month ago, Chris had been dealing with way too much and Evan felt a slight swell of the possessive need to take care of his mate.

No matter how small the cut in Chris’ flesh he tended to it carefully, ensuring the wound was completely clean. More than likely they would all be gone in the morning or at least Evan hoped so, he didn’t like to see Chris marked by anything other than himself. “Chris? What happened tonight?”

Chris tensed slightly but Evan never once stopped his hands moving over Chris’ body, carefully making sure everything was okay and Chris relaxed after a moment. “I’ve no idea what made Randy go out tonight, I didn’t exactly get the chance to question him and it’ll wait. Looks like he found Edge though, only Edge was prepared for him. By the time we tracked him down, Randy was unconscious and Edge was trying to make a getaway with him.” He gave a slightly watered-down version of events in the car, adding that his tumble from the roof to the bonnet had caused most of the cuts. “Ted’s sporting a hulluva road rash,” he said with a slight grin.

“Cody shot him?” This news was incredible to Evan, he had never thought Cody could do something like that even in the heat of the moment.

“I think he knew it wasn’t going to hurt him much, given that Randy was out of things and he had a good look at the gun – it shoots out those darts, y’know?” Chris leaned back a little into Evan’s touch. “He looked terrified the moment he pulled the trigger.”

Evan pressed his lips to a slight cut on Chris’ neck, eliciting a sound somewhere between a moan and a growl from the other. It startled him a moment, then he remembered just how they hadn’t done anything more than embrace since he had been taken himself – and even those instances had been due to his fierce need for comfort. Just add Chris’ sexual frustration to his list of things to feel guilty about, if indeed Chris still desired him at all. Although that involuntary sound seemed to suggest that he did; Evan might just be about to pour cold water over that with his next admission. 

“I think Edge might have been able to call Randy because of me,” he said quietly. “They took my phone. Everyone’s number’s on there.”

If he had been expecting recriminations, he didn’t get them. In fact, Chris seemed to barely respond. “If your phone was taken, that’s hardly your fault Puppy,” he said, reaching to rub Evan’s arm in the reassuring way that Evan had noticed he always did when something like this came up. “If that’s how Edge got in touch with Randy, then its Randy’s fault for letting himself be goaded.” 

Evan sighed slightly, moving so he could check out Chris’ back and neck. There seemed to be fewer cuts there than there were on his front, where he’d presumably landed on the broken glass on the bonnet. “I don’t like having him in the house Chris,” he admitted softly.

“Puppy—“ Chris turned rather than letting Evan attend to the rest of his cuts, pulling Evan onto his knee and trying not to notice as Evan stiffened almost imperceptibly before letting himself relax in his mates arms. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t think of any other option and honestly? I still can’t. We can’t let this go on.”

“I know, but...” Evan rested his head against Chris’ shoulder, more so he wasn’t making eye contact rather than to seek affection. It wasn’t that Chris didn’t want to give him comfort or that he didn’t want to accept it, but when he said anything directly about that time, he could feel a barrier coming down around himself almost as solidly as an actual wall. It was not the time to break down and allow himself to be hysterical about the issue, he needed to put across his point of view while calm and then he could feel he was taken more seriously. “He maced me. And then he was taunting me because I was with you, said stuff that – I don’t know, stuff I can see him saying to the rest of the pack the whole time, bringing them around to how he thought. Knowing just the right things to say to manipulate everyone. I can’t feel safe as long as he’s here Chris. Even knowing he’s been in our home makes my skin crawl. I know you have to do it for now, but we have to think of something else to take care of this.”

Chris brought his hand to Evan’s neck, caressing the skin there. “I will Ev. We’ll get him out of here the moment we can think of what we can do with him.”

“We’d better think fast then,” replied Evan, voice grave. “Because John was ready to kill him earlier. And if he tries to do it again – I think he can succeed. And I don’t think Randy would stop him.”

~:~

For a moment after their lips parted, Randy thought that the kiss was going to make everything okay between them again. His heart ached at how clearly scared John had been over his disappearance and the way he had returned to the house; when he had left he’d had some notion of returning to wake John as some conquering hero, telling his mate that the person who had shot him was taken care of forevermore – only things had gone badly wrong on that score. He had been outwitted and although he had no proof of what Edge might have wanted in keeping him alive rather than leaving his mutilated corpse somewhere for them to find, he was starting to suspect something about it. That it was some punishment for the both of them, Randy for rejecting Edge in the first place and John for taking the man that Edge had never been able to.

John seemed to have calmed slightly from the rage and fear that had consumed him almost totally, but it was still very much alive in his eyes and Randy had the dismal feeling that John had not forgiven him, not by a long shot. The kiss showed his love was still there and his relief that Randy was back, but he was still haunted by fear and angrier than Randy had ever seen him before. “John, I—“

“How did you know where he was? Did you go looking for him? Did you break your promise to me?”

“I, uh...” Randy knew better than to push John’s dwindling patience in the mood that he was in right then. “He called my phone.”

“He called your phone.” John gave a look of unhappy surprise, taking a step away from Randy. “He called and you went running off to him.”

“Fuck no, John, it wasn’t like that!” Randy was suddenly more alarmed by the way John had reacted to that news, as much a slap in the face as the blow he had delivered to Randy. “As soon as I knew he was still in the area, I had to find him!”

“Why?”

“Because I was scared!” Randy pitched his voice low, but kept his eyes firmly on John the whole time, willing John to see his sincerity. “He phoned me, right out of the blue in the middle of the day and he thought you were dead! And I knew he’d never just let it go. Look at all the trouble he went to getting his own back! He raised Wade up as his fucking sacrificial lamb, he was gonna kill Chris – and he almost killed you. How am I gonna let that happen again? Am I gonna let us spend the whole rest of our lives watching over our shoulders in case he decides today’s the day and he was coming to finish the job? I wanted it over, finished. I wanted to come home, wake you up and tell you that I’d taken him out and there was no need to look out for him anymore. And I didn’t want to be scared anymore that... I might lose you.”

He sighed. “And I was mad. I wanted to get him back. I wanted to finish him off, kill him, get revenge for what he did. He hurt you John and I couldn’t let that go.”

John closed his eyes a moment. He knew just what Randy was saying, he understood, but that didn’t make him any less angry. “Didn’t you learn anything after what we went through when Evan was taken?”

“This was nothing like—“

“It’s exactly the same.” John’s voice was quiet but his words cut through Randy’s even so. “Only difference is, he was faster and you were luckier. You said you were doing this for me, but you didn’t say a word to me. You think I wanted revenge at the expense of you being in danger? Look at what could have happened. He had you Randy. He was going to take you from me and I would never have known whether you’d been taken or if you’d decided to leave me.” He ignored the beginning of Randy’s stammered protests of how he could never leave, giving a crooked smile that had nothing at all to do with happiness or humour. “And you stink of him. He’s had his hands on you and I remember it every time I breathe in.”

Randy couldn’t hold John’s gaze anymore, staring down at the floor instead. “I didn’t tell you because – okay, maybe there was some ego involved. But you were injured and I didn’t wanna make that worse. I would have told you if you weren’t trying to recover.”

“You think this is helping me recover?” John exhaled shakily. “God, I just – I wanna kill you Randy. For scaring me like you did and because of you, he’s in the manor. You think that helps? You said you wanted him out of our lives forever, he’s right on our doorstep. What do you think happens now?”

Randy’s head shot up. “We can deal with him and you and me can get back to our lives. We can go home together, things’ll be just like they were before he showed up again!”

“And I can wake up in the night when you don’t sleep and you’ve gone for a smoke and never once think that this happened again?” John’s voice was still quiet but there was an edge of weariness to it as well. 

Randy’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry John. I really am. I didn’t think any of this would happen.”

“You never think.” John ran a hand wearily through his close-cropped hair. “Go take a shower and do something with those damned clothes. I can’t stand you to smell like that anymore. It makes me wanna hurt someone.”

Clearly Randy wanted to say something more but wasn’t finding the right words; instead he turned and went into the bathroom. John watched as the door closed behind him, fury and fear still entwined. But once Randy was out of sight, he let himself sag to the bed, resting his head in his hands. Randy was sorry, that was the hell of it, and he wouldn’t do it again after how it had all turned out. But that didn’t change that he had done it at all, that John couldn’t trust him when he made a promise anymore. Randy probably didn’t even see how he had broken his word at all. 

And Edge was in the house. Edge was in the house. A low growl came from his throat as he thought about it. He hadn’t lost the urge to damage the other for what he had done to his mate, not to mention the things that John just knew he had considered doing. He wanted Edge to know before he hurt him that his actions had failed and John adn Randy were exactly the same as they had been before he’d tried to take Randy. It wasn’t true; it would take him a long time to get over all of this. But Edge wasn’t going to find that out, no way. He knew there would be some kind of confrontation and he didn’t want Edge to be in any doubt that he had lost.

John rested a hand momentarily on the dressing that Randy had lovingly covered his wound with, before all of this had happened. It throbbed with the effort he’d made to try to get to Edge, but not as badly as it would have done the day before. He was healing, too slowly, but it would have to do. There were some things that simply couldn’t wait for him to be a hundred per cent again. 

 

Randy walked out of the bathroom five minutes later, a towel wrapped around his waist and a contrite look on his face. John had stripped off the clothes he’d hurriedly thrown on upon finding Randy missing and lain on the bed, trying to get past the gnawing ache in his muscles and the anger that he still felt whenever he considered how his mate had done something so fucking stupid and dangerous. His breath hitched a little as he saw the man he loved; it was hard for him to reconcile the strong, powerful man he saw now with the one that had been carried in by their pack earlier – not knowing what was happening around him, all his strength and his enhanced senses useless, completely vulnerable. It was one thing for Randy to be vulnerable to him, it scared him more than he knew how to say to see him that way in front of anyone else, their pack included. 

“Lose the towel,” he said, his tone commanding. Obediently, Randy removed it and tossed it in the direction of their hamper in the corner, not bothering to tease or to challenge John even playfully, as he normally would. John’s sharp eyes swept over Randy’s entire body, checking for marks that might have been made while Randy was unconscious and he had not yet mentioned, starting with Randy’s anxious face and going gradually south. The area between Randy’s legs interested him more than he wanted to show, his possessive side needing to reassert his bond with his mate, but he disregarded it for the moment, his attention taken by a small but dark bruise on Randy’s thigh. He was sure it hadn’t been there earlier that night and should by rights have faded already. “What’s that?” he asked, indicating to the mark with a jerk of his head. 

“Huh?” Randy glanced down and a dark look came over his face. “Oh. That’s where I got hit with the dart. We were brawling... it was pretty close range.”

John’s heart lurched. That was damned close to a major artery and had Edge had a normal gun or god forbid, one of the silver bullets he’d used to shoot John, then Randy could have bled to death before his wound healed. The way John almost had. He reached out and ran his fingers over the mark, eyes narrowing. “Turn around.”

Randy obliged him and John did the same careful examination to his mates back. To his relief there seemed to be no marks there. Edge had not harmed Randy in any way – or at least, had not had time to harm Randy. Thinking of what might have happened had Chris been five minutes later finding him made him feel cold and weak with fright. 

“Does anything hurt?” he asked. Randy turned again and shook his head. John stared at him intently. “I’m serious Randy, you’d better tell me. Anything at all.” Randy shook his head again and John was inclined to believe him this time, bluntly put Randy was too involved in trying to regain John’s trust at that moment to lie about such a thing. “Okay,” said John, his voice softening a little. “Get into bed.”

Randy reached out to get a fresh pair of boxers and John stopped him with a word. “Don’t bother. You won’t be wearing them long.”

“John—“ Randy’s eyes went to John’s stomach and John knew just what the other was thinking; it was too soon and John wasn’t capable of that much exertion right then. But he also had to be aware of how John was feeling, the need to reclaim his mate as his own after all that had happened. And that Randy wanted that too was made obvious. 

John’s eyes glinted with the same primal territoriality that Randy had seen earlier, when John was ready to tear apart the man that had threatened to take his mate from him. “Get in the fucking bed Randy.”

Without any further protest Randy slipped beneath the covers, John immediately dragging them off to expose his lover and moving to kiss him, claiming Randy in that single move. Randy’s lips parted and John plundered his mouth with a passion that startled even himself, trying to reassure himself that Randy was really there and really still his. By the time he let his need for air force them apart both of them were panting, the ragged breaths Randy gave fuelling his fire further. 

Moving his body to kneel between Randy’s legs, he leant over Randy again and although Randy was clearly expecting another kiss, this time John nipped at his lower lip instead, allowing his tongue to leave a damp stripe over Randy’s jaw as he moved to the man’s neck, nipping harder this time. Randy made some stifled sound as John left his mark on his mates throat, signalling to everyone that Randy was already claimed. The sight of his mark made John react on some level far deeper than conscious thought; he needed to mark Randy as his, with his teeth, with his scent. He could leave no doubt in anyone’s mind, including Randy’s. And his own. 

Randy made some move and John rested a hand on the others chest, letting him know that it wasn’t happening. Perhaps Randy could have overpowered him had he wanted, but he made no move to. Instead John moved down Randy’s body, taking a nipple into his mouth and first sucking, then using his teeth to pull at the bud. Randy hissed quietly at the mild pain and that wasn’t good enough, John wanted to hear Randy’s pleasure for himself. His tongue rasped over the marks he’d left and Randy moaned, louder again when John turned his attention to the other nipple and subjected it to the same treatment, harder this time and with more intent to mark. He glanced up as he did so, meeting Randy’s eyes, the blue darkened with need, reminding John as they always did of the sky before a storm. 

He ignored Randy’s already-weeping cock and the small sound of frustrated need as he did so, finding the mark that Edge had left and running the tip of his tongue over it. There seemed to be no trace of the tranquilliser that had been injected there and without hesitation he bit down, hard, hearing a short cry of pain from the man. That was temporary, it was okay – but there was no way, no way at all, that Randy was going to wear some mark from that creature. John would cover it with his own claim, rid Randy of it that way, ensure that the next time Randy saw it, he would think only of his mate and not someone else. 

He pulled back a moment to admire his work, a lovebite that hid the bruise Edge had left there completely. A feral smirk fluttered over his face a moment before fading as he refocused, he had never felt so consumed with the need to claim Randy as his before and nothing in the world could have stopped him then. 

Spreading Randy’s thighs, he ran his tongue over the man’s entrance, one slow lick and then several more rapid strokes over the surface, without penetrating him. He knew Randy’s body and needs better than anyone else had or would, or could; he knew damn well that Randy always went wild when it came to being rimmed. And John needed to remind Randy that he could do things to the other that no one else on earth could do, remind Randy why he should never consider doing anything that might take him from John’s side ever again. 

Now Randy had stopped trying to be quiet, the gasps and moans coming from the tattooed man echoing around the room and probably audible in those around. Just what John wanted. Finally pushing his tongue into Randy’s body with a single hard thrust, John was rewarded by a cry of abandon from the other, Randy’s hips moving so that John could more easily take him that way. John knew damned well he could continue the way he was and have Randy brought to screaming completion within minutes, but that wasn’t how he wanted this to be. He wanted to claim Randy in every way he could, intimately. There was a dark part of him insisting that he had to stop and take Randy right away, but even in the circumstances and the way he was consumed, he would never have harmed Randy so recklessly. He slid two fingers inside Randy alongside his tongue, scissoring them firmly before continuing his ministrations and this time he couldn’t stop the grin as Randy started to beg for John to take him. But Randy wasn’t the one calling the shots here. Pulling his tongue from the other, he thrust his fingers up in the same moment, gaining a cry from Randy that John was almost sure the entire manor had to have heard. Good. Just what he wanted. 

Unable to wait any longer, he pulled his fingers from Randy, grabbing the man’s leg and hooking it around his waist as he positioned himself before the other. There was no pain, he had forgotten entirely about teh wound in his stomach although had he remembered it, he would have realised it would hurt like a bitch once he was recovered from his desires. But it was the furthest thing from his mind, the entire focus of his attention the man lying under him. There was no pause as he thrust himself into Randy’s body in a single hard movement. Randy cried out again, his back arching up and in a second of clarity, John was afraid he’d hurt him. Then Randy’s eyes met his, nothing but heat in them, Randy’s hands grabbed for his broad shoulders and his mate was urging him on. 

John withdrew almost totally from Randy then thrust in again, slamming into his prostate with a knowledge born of their long relationship and an innate knowledge of his mates body. “Say it Randy.” 

Randy didn’t need to be illuminated as to what it might be. “Yours, I’m yours – there’s no one else just – fuck John, please!”

John gave no further warning as he surrender to his mates pleas and the needs of his own body and mind, penetrating his mates body deeper with every thrust. This was the possession he needed; Randy’s cries and sweat-slicked skin driving him on, sheathing him deliciously. John didn’t let up for a second, almost wild as he took his mate, leaving bites on the others neck and bruises where his fingers dug into Randy’s skin, signs of his possession of the other. He wanted Randy bound to him, always, never able to find this kind of intensity, this pleasure, with anyone but himself. 

He felt the change in Randy’s body, the way the man was gripping him with equal ferocity, heard the increase in the man’s heartbeat as Randy all but roared out his pleasure, his release hot between their bodies. And John couldn’t stop himself as Randy clamped around his cock like a vice; he continued to thrust into his mate with a series of animalistic growls in his throat until it happened, the ultimate high, a rush of intensity as his climax tore through his entire body, spilling as deep inside Randy as he could, claiming the other as his own once and forever. 

John could feel the buzz of elation within him as he slowed, not even knowing that it couldn’t last seemed to rid him of the feeling. Randy’s hold in him loosened a little and John allowed his own body to sink onto his mates, still inside the other, smelling the sweat on Randy’s body, the odour of sex. Randy smelled like him, bore his marks and John knew that maybe now, he would be able to let the other out of his sight for five minutes.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three: A Question Of Extermination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes being pack-leader can be a real headache

Cody stared at the opposite wall of what was now his-and-Ted’s bedroom as the cries from John and Randy’s room died out. “Fuck.” Cody exhaled out the curse in awe, eyes wide. He had no idea exactly what had happened in that room (aside from the obvious) but the aura that was coming from the room was one that could have made John an alpha in his own right. “John’s really upset, isn’t he?” Cody said softly and felt Ted’s arms shifting around his waist, pulling him closer to the elder man. “Are you surprised?” Ted murmured softly, Cody knowing it was just rhetorical, but answered anyway, “No, no I’m not. But still… damn.” And Cody had thought what he’d heard from John and Randy during the full-moons had been intense, but that—that had been something else entirely. Cody wriggled back against Ted somewhat, hearing his mate give a soft sound at the action.

“Cody—“he gently stroked his hand over his mate’s arm, feeling the small abrasions that their car activities from earlier on had brought forth on his mate’s skin. They would all probably have healed completely by the following night, but Ted still couldn’t help the somewhat irrational urge he had to bloody well lick the wounds in the hope of tending them further and removing any lingering pain that Cody might have. Mercifully he had enough control to resist the urge. “Yes Teddy?” Cody murmured softly, Ted sure he felt a small spike of mischief from his mate even though Cody wasn’t looking to him and he was sure his own senses were a little off thanks to lingering adrenaline. “If you keep moving against me like that I think we’re going to end up giving John and Randy a run for their money.” Cody moved then, so he was straddling Ted’s waist, surprising the elder.

“Code?” he questioned softly, his hands spanning Cody’s thighs from where the other was sat atop him. “When I saw Edge holding that gun on you…” The words he had been about to give to reassure his mate were cut off when he saw the look in Cody’s eyes, forcing himself to fall silent as he listened to what he was saying, “—I felt like my whole damn world was going to end. I reacted on instinct, I didn’t think—“displaying the true tender-heart that he was (much like Evan) Cody’s voice reflected some guilt even towards a monster like Edge. “—and I know even now, that had that gun been actual, with bullets, then I still would have done the same thing.” For the first time Ted realised that there were tears in Cody’s eyes and he seemed slightly shaken in himself, “And I don’t think I would have regretted it even a moment if I’d have killed him.” And Ted didn’t doubt a word Cody had just spoken to him.

“It’s Ok, baby, it’s Ok—“Ted tried to soothe the other, feeling he understood what Cody was getting at, but Cody cut across him with somewhat desperate words even as he seemed to begin subconsciously undulating against Ted’s groin in a fashion that had his cock taking notice almost immediately. “I could have been a killer, tonight, Ted! I could have been a killer and I would have fucking enjoyed it! I would have relished blowing that bastard’s brains out!” Before Ted could think of some sort of response to his lover’s terrified, tremulous words, Cody’s lips were covering his own in a kiss that stole all thoughts from his mind as swiftly as it stole the breath from his lungs. The kiss was desperate, hard, and passionate, and Ted had no reservations giving as good as he got. And, although he could sense Cody needed some physical reassurance from him, it didn’t seem as though the other wanted full sex with him. Well, not at that point in time anyway. When their kiss broke deep breaths echoed loudly.

Pushing the covers downwards Cody scooted down Ted’s body until he ended up between his lover’s legs. Ted had been clad in boxers, but after a few moments Cody had them ending up across the room in two separate halves, Ted’s hard prick springing up from immediately, as though bidding for freedom—or, given their positioning right then, it was more likely making a bid for Cody’s mouth. “Cody—Oh, shit—“Ted shuddered powerfully as Cody’s mouth enveloped the head of his shaft, Ted’s abdomen contracting in pleasure as his hands slid down into Cody’s dark hair. “Ah, baby, you don’t need to—“the man shuddered powerfully one more time as Cody let his tongue poke into the slit of the head, tasting the pre-cum there. He didn’t know what had driven him so powerfully to need to taste Ted; he only knew that he had to. He had been so terrified earlier that he swore he had seen his and Ted’s entire relationship flash before his eyes. Maybe, in a way, he wanted Ted to reassure him by letting him do this; as though Ted still permitting him to touch him and to love him, would make all the horrible black thoughts and the anger go away. He didn’t like feeling like this, and the sooner the feelings went away the better he would feel.

~:~

After what felt like hours, but was probably not even five minutes in reality, John gently eased himself from Randy’s body and lay besides his mate instead. Randy whined softly at the loss and the sudden ache that flared in his backside; but it was an ache that he welcomed and relished. Having John fucking his brains out was a pretty good repentance as opposed to say, having John kicking the shit out of him. Not that he didn’t deserve it, but he liked this way better. Turning over so that he was looking at John, Randy gingerly placed his hand over the dressing of his mate’s wound and pressed a little closer to him. “John-John?” had it been any other situation, or with anyone else, than Randy would have hated how tentative and twee his voice came out, but since it was John he pushed his ego away for a moment.

John didn’t turn, still feeling his body and rage both attempting to cool, but gave a small grunt of acknowledgement that he had heard that the other was talking to him. “I’m sorry.” Randy whispered into John’s neck as he held himself as close as he physically dared to the older man. The fact that John hadn’t pushed him away yet was a plus, but at the same time he didn’t want to try and overdo it and push his luck. Another sound acknowledged his words and Randy couldn’t help but feel somewhat put-out even though he had known that there was no way that John was going to forgive him right off the bat. Well, not completely anyway. “If you do something like this again,” John started a few moments later, Randy having been close to nodding off until John started to talk, “Then I’m gonna… fuck, I don’t even know what I’ll do yet but know this: it won’t be good.”

Randy nodded his head, knowing that John wasn’t fucking with him. “I won’t John, I prom—“even before the words had left his mouth he knew that they were the wrong ones to say and he stopped before he started another bout from John. He could feel that his mate was twitching somewhat (seemingly from pain seeing as how jerky and sporadic the movements were) and was about to offer to go and get him some painkillers or something when John’s arm went around his middle in a very pointed gesture. Even through the anger and fear Randy had sensed how much he had betrayed John by what he had done and he was truly sorry for that; he never, ever wanted to cause John harm, ever. Whether that harm was to be physical, mental or emotional, he never wanted to be the cause for it. Sensing that John wasn’t exactly in the mood to talk anymore –and that he too was pretty, well, fucked, himself —Randy merely allowed himself to remain curled up with John in silence, listening to the other’s rhythmic breathing.

John sensed the moment when Randy fell asleep, but he couldn’t allow himself to relax so easily. Even though he had soothed himself with regards to Randy’s faithfulness he couldn’t shake off the fury he was feeling, or the crippling fear that had been feeding his fury and the bloodlust within him that demanded he go and find where Edge was. Not only did he owe his Alpha’s beta, his friend, Evan, revenge, but he also had his own vendetta to clear. The man had shot him, and tried to kidnap his mate. John was severely tempted to go and find Chris to ask the other man if he would keep Edge there in the house until he was completely healed—and then he would be the one to take the man apart. With his bare hands. And he would enjoy every second. Huffing out a breath as loudly as he dared (and seeing and hearing Randy snuffle and shift somewhat from where the breath wafted over his ear by their positioning of Randy’s head on John’s chest) before closing his eyes for several long moments. This was all so incredibly fucked up and he was hurting, inside and out. With everything that had been going on John wouldn’t have been surprised if he looked three times Chris’ age and ended up with hair greyer than pencil lead when he awoke the next morning. If he actually managed to get to sleep that night, that was.

Laying there in the darkness John could see when the sun began rising outside and the room got lighter and lighter. He knew in the back of his mind that he was exhausted, and still somewhat in pain, but he couldn’t really bring himself to feel these things. He still felt somewhat numb and he didn’t like the way it made him feel out of it. Eventually he got up, gently easing Randy’s body from his own. His mate stirred somewhat and John paused to make sure that he was still asleep before he then got off of his bed and headed out of the bedroom after pulling a dressing-gown on. Randy curled into the warm spot that he had left behind and John couldn’t help but give a small smile at the sight even though he was still angry deep down about everything. He was walking awkwardly, an arm holding his abdomen, his gait slow as he made his way down the stairs and then through into the kitchen. He couldn’t sense any of his other house-mates awake yet and a look at the clock told him why: it was only five thirty in the morning, and they hadn’t gone to bed until late.

Sighing, John then paused as he heard something—a small sound that appeared to be coming up from the floor. The mug that he had been holding shattered in his hand and he took a breath to calm himself; he couldn’t commit murder in their home even though he doubted there’d be any one of their pack who would shed a tear or express some grief over the matter. And, added bonus, hadn’t Wade already told them that he wouldn’t exact any revenge if they happened across Edge? Not that John much considered anyone a threat with regards to the Edge situation; that man had far too much to pay for and John was determined to exact it in full. Placing the ruined mug in the bin, John then washed his hands and placed a plaster over a small gash that he obtained from the broken pottery before then throwing the bits into the bin before then retrieving himself another mug. Soon, the kettle was boiling and John prepared to make himself coffee.

Soon, the mug was being cradled between his hands as he took in the thick aroma. Randy hadn’t let him have coffee since his shooting, or indeed anything that he deemed overly strenuous on the system; the man was ridiculously protective sometimes, something that John understood… and had probably displayed the night before when he had had Randy all but screaming his fidelity to him. There was a vicious part of him that hoped Edge had heard that; the man needed to learn that he was encroaching on territory where he was not wanted. Again. He turned his head slightly when he registered someone else coming down the stairs, quirking the smallest of smirks when he saw his alpha… and was it his imagination or did Chris look distinctively rumpled this fine morning? And, yes, he was aware it was raining outside.

“Morning.” John said, cocking his head and taking a quick whiff of the air. Although Chris’ head didn’t cock the way his had he knew that the other had obviously scented him too; it was something that their kind did on a natural reflex with one another and none of them got embarrassed about it anymore. Chris could no doubt smell Randy over him (and he would be all over Randy when his mate finally surfaced from bed) and he was sure that he could smell Evan over Chris. And he meant as in really smell him, not just the light scent that you got when you were around your mate. Interesting… maybe having Edge in the house had set off Evan’s territorial instincts to allow them to override his reclusive manner. He wasn’t about to inquire at that moment in time though.

“Coffee?” John offered but his alpha motioned him to remain seated before dealing with it himself. The muffled shouting came again when silence descended between them and the two men shared somewhat vicious smiles of malicious glee as they heard the faint sounds of profanity and suchlike coming from Edge. John wondered when the man had awoken and was somewhat saddened that he hadn’t been there to provide the other with a welcoming committee. Not that he thought he could go near the man without wanting to tear his throat out with his bare hands. Chris sipped from his own coffee and then looked to the basement door before saying “Evan wants him out of the house…” the mood between them was strangely surreal, not exactly happy about Edge being there but finding it amusing in a weird way and both of them seemed slightly dazed in a subtle manner. “If you don’t get shot of him are you getting put in the doghouse?” there was a moment’s silence before the pair of them suddenly laughed. It seemed like so long since they had last laughed, even if it wasn’t completely right yet.

~*~*~*~

Edge snarled slightly as he tried pulling at the rope binding him. Though the rope itself wasn’t overly thick it had been tied in shockingly elaborate knots and his limbs were positioned in a way that he found strangely hard to work around. His wrists were already being rubbed raw from his movements and his thighs were cramped from being stuck in the same position for ages. “Jericho!” he bellowed, the darkness of the room not really affecting him too much with their advanced sight and hearing, and the scents that he could pick out from the upper floors were most assuredly those of Chris and his pack—and, yes, he just wanted the confirmation lest something had happened between them time when he had been intending to abduct Randy and that twink shooting him in the throat. Even the thought gave him a phantom throbbing sensation and he grimaced slightly. Oh, when he got out of there, there was going to be hell to pay. “Randy!” he tried next, hoping on some level that Randy’s mate would be the one to respond to the call.

If the invalid came down then Edge would have the advantage if he could only free himself. And, yes, whilst one might think it would essentially be suicide to try and provoke the pack whose mercy he was now at Edge had never exactly been well-known for having the most logical thought processes. To his fury though no one was responding to him… and he would swear that someone was standing outside of the door and listening to him. Chris had always been a strange one like that… “Let me out of here!” he shouted, then went quiet as his stomach rumbled loudly, groaning at the sensation.

Everyone knew that their kind had to keep well-fed at all times otherwise their tempers went bad and they started to become disoriented. Their senses could play tricks on them if they didn’t maintain their hunger and hydration levels. Edge began squirming again, hearing the wooden chair underneath him creaking ominously even if the bonds around his hands and feet seemed to be getting tighter as opposed to coming loose. He got overzealous with his movements and found himself slamming down onto the floor, groaning softly as he took the brunt of the fall with his shoulder. From where his head connected with the floor he had a momentary ringing in his ears whereas a normal meat-puppet human would probably have fractured their skull even though the distance wasn’t overly large.

Suddenly, the door opened and a square of light lit the room before a secondary main light was turned on actually in the room. Edge winced as the sudden influx of light seemed to fuse his retinas, his face trying to press into the concrete floor to momentarily offer himself a reprieve from the sensation. “Someone’s a little impatient, aren’t they?” Edge turned to look at the voice, eyes narrowing. “Chris.” He sneered towards his one-time friend as the man moved towards him but then stopped with a good distance between them. “I think your hospitality needs some work.”

Pretending to look around the rather bare basement Chris said airily, “Oh, I dunno—this seems like a palace for scum like you I’m sure.” Edge’s cheek twitched; he had always been sensitive to any sort of insult and now was no different. However, he forced his face into a mask of calm and sent his friend and eerily sweet smile, “How’s Randy doing?” he question and this time Chris was the one who tensed and who’s smile slipped. The other Canadian then seemed to calm down too before responding, “He’s doing fine—actually, from what John told me he’s still sleeping-off the after-effects of last night,” he paused, letting the man formulate the obviously wrong impression before adding, “—when he and John had gone to bed together.” Edge’s expression was ugly from where he was partially pressed into the floor. Chris knew that was a petty jab but he wasn’t known for pulling punches.

Moving over to where Edge was, Chris picked the man up with one hand and righted the chair… only so he could punch the man in the face easier. The force would have been enough to shatter a normal man’s jaw, but as it was right then Edge was just going to end up with some bruising. He snarled at the blow and Chris landed another, causing Edge’s head to whip to the side. By the third blow the bruise was already coming up purple, and by the fifth blow Edge’s face was stained crimson with blood. Eventually, Chris stopped. Compared to the damage that he could have done to the other man, but that was rather the point: he didn’t want to hurt Edge yet. He was going to draw this process out… and partially only because he wasn’t entirely too sure what he was going to do to him yet. He wanted to kill him, of course he did, seeing as Edge seemed to be the underlying route for everything that had gone on… but taking a life was not something that one should consider lightly and even with a monster like Edge, Chris found himself hesitating. “You’re for it. One way or another you’re for it, Edge.” His tone was eerily neutral.

“You wouldn’t dare!” Edge said, trying to get Chris mad enough to want to undo the ties of the ropes to let him have better access to body-parts where he could cause more damage—but Chris didn’t appear to be having any of it. He just carried on walking back up the stairs even as Edge’s voice followed him up, “You’re too much of a coward, Chris! If you couldn’t kill the boy then you won’t be able to kill me!” Chris closed the door behind him firmly after clicking off the light and Edge was left in the darkness on his own once more. Were it not for the fact he’d known otherwise about the man having company and affection Chris might have assumed that was the underlying cause of him being a fucking psychopath.

John had returned back to his room before he had gone down into the basement and Chris found himself alone in the kitchen—until he truly took stock of his surroundings and saw Evan standing there in the doorway. “Puppy—“it was only just gone seven in the morning and Chris had last seen his lover fast asleep in bed when he had gone up to throw on a t-shirt and some jogging pants for covering… clothing that he wouldn’t mind destroying when he had finished sorting Edge out. Evan took a look at the streaks of blood on Chris’ hands and his nose wrinkled. “Shower. Now.” For a moment Chris was so taken aback by the command that he didn’t move, but then he quirked one of his slight smirks and obediently nodded his head and made his way up the stairs, Evan right behind him, tension radiating from him.

He couldn’t remember when Evan had last made a demand on him; his mate was notoriously unselfish anyway, but since the incident with the other pack when he had drawn in on himself somewhat he had been worse than usual. Last night though… that had seemed like a most definite step forward even if it wasn’t a total recovery. Last night Chris had seen some of his Evvy once more, his Puppy coming to the fore ahead of all the pain and self-loathing that occasionally made itself present in the otherwise fathomless eyes. Evan went into the bathroom and turned the shower on, walking back into the bedroom in time to see Chris removing his shirt. His eyes roved greedily over the exposed back and he felt no small thrill inside of him as he saw that the marks he had left over Chris’ back were still visible; usually such markings healed within an hour or two, so he enjoyed actually seeing them.

~:~

Chris must have sensed Evan’s eyes upon him because he turned his head to grin at the other, without actually turning fully. “See something you like?” he asked with a slight grin. Evan knew just as Chris did that to leave a mark on the pack alpha was no small feat – unless one was allowed to do so. And Evan always was. The night before he had been feeling both concerned and oddly territorial – he knew that Edge would have killed Chris without a second thought the night before, if he’d had the chance and even though it seemed he hadn’t gone anywhere near Chris, Evan wanted to prove a point. Chris was his – and should he have to see Edge at any time while the man was in the house, he wanted Edge to know that Evan wasn’t broken. No matter what had happened, he was still with Chris, still sticking by his mate. He’d been through a lot, but he wasn’t about to let Edge or anyone else break him. Only Chris had the power to do that – and he never would. 

“It’s a great view.” Evan moved forward and pressed his lips slowly to one of the marks he’d left on his mate, kissing him softly before drawing away. “Chris, shower. You smell of his blood.” He didn’t ask what Chris had done down there – he knew that Edge was still alive but he also knew that Chris had some severe rage toward the other. If Edge had got out of the encounter with only bruises, he was lucky. 

Obediently, Chris stripped off the rest of his clothes and headed for the bathroom. Evan sat on the bed, considering going to disturb Ted and Cody and ask what they thought of the situation, if they had any ideas what should happen to Edge. But then he thought back to what Chris had told him; he knew damn well if his mate had been the one brawling with a man holding a gun then he wouldn’t be welcoming an intrusion until he volunteered to show his face. That didn’t mean he wasn’t concerned with how Cody felt after actually shooting someone, even if it was with a trank rather than a bullet, and after the kindness that Cody had shown him since they had met and more so of late, he felt the urge to do the same for the other. Still, he had to let Ted take care of Cody first and foremost, then allow himself to be a sounding board should the man need it. 

His eyes fell on Chris’ clothes. Chris had clearly dressed with the thought of ease of movement and that they might be ruined. There was the faint smell of Edge on them, a couple of drops of blood, but nothing that was immediately obvious. Most of the blood had been on Chris’ hands. With a sigh, he let the clothes fall to the bed again. By the time they had made a decision about Edge, Chris might need to wear them again.

~:~

John stood in the doorway of his room, completely still. Randy was still sleeping, one arm curled around John’s pillow, seeming peaceful. John knew damn well that Randy hadn’t been sleeping so well since he’d been shot and after the night before it was probably for the best that Randy was allowed to rest up. He wished he could join his mate in their bed, but John had never felt less like settling in his life. 

The sheets had been kicked down at some point, Randy naked to the waist and showing a very brief flash of his tempting ass. John’s eyes moved over the tanned body, the strong muscles currently totally relaxed and the myriad of interlocking tattoos that he had spent hours on end studying, stroking over them with his fingers or his lips. He could barely make out Randy’s face against the pillow but from what he could see, his lover wasn’t smiling. John couldn’t help but think how close it had been to him never being able to walk into his room and see that sight again, the mere consideration made him shiver. He was angry with Randy, but that was overshadowed by his love of the man; that emotion was so strong that it was almost painful. Since the moment Randy had entered his life John had lived and breathed for the younger man. Had Randy been taken from him – well, John was sure he couldn’t have gone on living. Taking revenge might have kept his body going for a while but his heart would have been dead and once revenge was done, there would have been nothing left for him. Randy was everything to him. 

He knew that Chris would not kill Edge. He might threaten the man, even rough him up some, but John knew that if Chris did not kill in the heat of the moment, then he certainly would not do so when Edge was bound and defenceless. Distantly he could hear Chris and Evan heading for their own room, he hadn’t heard Ted and Cody waken at all. And Randy was asleep before him, breathing evenly, every inch the strong survivor that John had fallen for, the man who had saved his life and won John over when common sense should have told him to run. 

Edge though, would be awake, John was sure of it. How could he sleep when he was in the lair of his enemies, with no idea what would happen next? And he had heard the man shouting earlier, him and Chris both. He’d met Edge exactly once, that being when Chris had been forced to fight with Wade – he didn’t count the night before, when Edge had been unconscious and John wild to get at him, harm him. Not knowing what Edge’s real agenda was, having to gain all his knowledge second-hand when everyone knew how he would feel about the man who used to sleep with John’s mate, all that meant that he really didn’t know enough to hate him close and personal. Or at least, that was what John told himself as he quietly closed the door to their room, heading back down the stairs and to the kitchen. 

~:~

Edge had been certain after Chris left him in the dark that there would be no one coming down for a while so he saved his energy rather than yell. He was hungry and thirsty and it was getting harder for him to concentrate thanks to those little facts, but he tried to work out what it was that would happen next, his best window of escape. He knew that Chris would not be killing him, but that didn’t mean that no one would. Perhaps they’d take a vote, like a democracy, that was just weak enough to be just like Jericho. He should be barking out orders, not asking for suggestions. Perhaps they would leave him down there to starve, or maybe that slow death was too inhumane and they would persuade themselves that he was more the wolf than a man and it wasn’t so much murder as putting him down. He could see his own death vividly and he tried to force it away; hunger hallucinations were a real danger even after such a short time, for their kind. 

He could have changed, but he knew that was inviting more trouble than he was already in. It would be a simpler matter for him to escape the ropes because the ropes would not be so tight around him, he would be able to slip out of them. But that wasn’t taking into account the position he was bound in. His arms were pinned behind him tightly enough to cause his shoulders to ache fiercely, and in wolf form his bones changed enough that to do so while he was tied to the chair would cause him serious injury. His shoulders would both be dislocated for sure, his curved spine would be bent the wrong way and cause him still more agony. He’d be in no position to escape, that was for sure. 

The ropes were a no-go, they were too tight and too clever and the more he fought against them, the tighter they bit into his skin. Chris hadn’t even been good enough to leave him near a convenient sharp corner or sticking-out nail. So... that meant the chair. If he could break it somehow, then he could slip the ropes off the wood and be free. Then he could take stock of everything else, the room, the people in the building – where the hell the building was. He had no idea where Chris really lived, the man had gone to lengths to hide that and the pack had been lucky they had managed to get as much as they did to find Evan. 

The chair was solid though, not the flimsy crap that people bought cheap to sit at the dining table at. But Edge was strong and the fear for his safety made him stronger. He dragged at the slat that the ropes were bound to, feeling little give in the wood. Still, he was strong enough to punch a hole in a wall in his human form, there was no mere metal or wood that could hold him – and even if what he suspected was true and that Chris had certain things in the house that could detain one such as them, then he might still be able to break through it, in time. He was determined, tenacious. 

He focused for a while on pulling his arms back, wincing as the rope bit into his skin further, heartened slightly as the wood seemed to give a little – or was that his imagination? The damned thing should have been mere splinters given the force he had shown but the back was still holding against him. Wood over steel perhaps, but even that wouldn’t hold him for long. Edge gave a grin that would have looked more like a snarl, had anyone been there to see him in the dark. Chris wasn’t going to beat him, this pack that he had once been a part of wasn’t going to beat him. He would outwit them all. He always had. 

His struggles halted suddenly as he sensed/ smelled someone close. He let his hands rest, cocking his head to one side and breathing deeply, gaining his bearings and the position of the one he knew was close. The smile became far more amused and sinister. Someone at the door at the top of the cellar stairs, not moving, merely standing as if thinking of something. He knew damned well who that person was, not that he showed it – he was after all, master of manipulations and he wasn’t about to give up the one advantage he did have, that he was smarter than all of them. “Randy? You came to pay me a visit then?”

There was silence a moment, then the cellar door opened. The sudden light made Edge squint against it, but even the silhouette he saw reasserted what he already knew; this was not Randy. It also uneasily reminded him of what it was easy to forget when seeing pictures of this man during his ordinary, respectable life as a schoolteacher, he was fucking huge. Not tall like Randy was, maybe only the same height as Edge, but massive across the shoulders, broad, strong. Had they both been human then he probably still could have broken Edge in half like a twig, as werewolves both he was still wary. 

Cena flicked on the light and Edge narrowed his eyes against it, getting a good scent of the man. He didn’t like what he smelled. Randy was so strong on the man that the scent was all but coming from his pores, it seemed like Chris hadn’t been lying when he said Randy had spent the night in bed with the brute. Edge wanted to growl but didn’t, his best chance at getting out of this and away safe was to not show his hand too soon. 

John closed the door quietly behind him and Edge wondered if anyone else knew he was there. Probably not. It didn’t seem likely that Chris would let John go down there in case things go out of hand and Randy was unlikely to allow it. Not good if things went bad because Edge was in no position to fight back, but it certainly gave him more scope to work with what he had. He curled his lips into a reasonable facsimile of a pleasant smile. “Ah. Randy’s new chew toy.”

“Mate.” Cena stopped far enough away from Edge so that even if he were to free his legs they wouldn’t reach the other, close enough that Edge could see those muscles beneath the thin white t-shirt. Transparent attempts at intimidation, Edge was way beyond all that. “I’m Randy’s mate and he is mine. Nothing could change that, certainly not you. Regardless of anything you might have done.” 

There was real rage in Cena’s eyes in spite of the neutral look on his face. Edge knew he’d touched a nerve with the man after what he’d done the night before. Not that he cared about that, he’d wanted back what should have been his and John was in his way, presuming to be more to Randy than he had been. Rage wasn’t great but it would do; rage was a volatile emotion that acted without thought, that made mistakes. One opening, that was all he needed. 

John tilted his head to one side as if regarding Edge curiously. “Why Randy?” he asked, clearly itching for some kind of answer. Edge got it. The man was distressed and trying to make sense of everything. “Why now? You’ve never cared that much until recently. And we both know you’re not in love with him. So why did you want him?”

Edge wanted to give a derisive snort. Love? What the fuck was this guy smoking? Still, he didn’t object to giving some answers, although their truth and how much Cena would like them were open to debate. Rather than laugh mockingly, he gave a half-smile, wishing he was able to wash his face. As well as the bruising there was dried blood and a wash would feel all kinds of better. Although if he were given water, he would probably drink it all in one deep swallow. He wasn’t about to ask this man for a drink though, it would sound too much like begging and would give Cena something to hold out for, a bargaining chip. He would show no weakness. 

Instead he stared at Cena, one of his eyes swollen almost shut, the other unnervingly bright. “What did you think when you first saw Randy?” he asked conversationally. John gave no response, although there was a twitch in his jaw that showed he was considering that moment. Edge didn’t allow the silence to throw him. “Let me guess. You took a look at this man – tall, handsome, muscled. Dangerous. Intense. Something about him spoke straight to your dick, right? You thought, I want. And Randy thought the same thing about you, but that’s not new. Randy always did know just what he wanted and took it.”

He leaned his head back a little, not taking his eyes from John, pulling back slightly on the chair. There was a little give, but he couldn’t risk doing more in case he alerted John. “The first time I saw Randy, he wasn’t much more than a kid. But even back then, I saw something in him – a shadow of that intensity. When he got older, that got more prominent. By the time he was sixteen he was well on his way. And by the time we were fucking every chance we got, that was the main thing about him. How close to the surface that animal was, how he was half-tamed, he was – hell, he was magnificent. Such potential. Such charisma. Everything about him was instinct and heart, he was – one of a kind.”

Edge leaned forward as much as the bonds would allow, letting a sneer come over his face. “And then I ran into him again and you know what he is now? Just another bitch. He lost all that. Everything he was, all that he could have been. He’s gone from being that, that primal, graceful creature that he was. Now, what is he? He’s shacked up with a fucking schoolteacher. He probably does the grocery shopping, spends his evenings home, goes to bed at ten. He’ll spend his changes in some controlled environment instead of running free like he was born to. There’s a shadow of that sensuality when people take his picture, but a shadow’s really all it is. He’s had the collar thrown on him. He’s been stifled.”

Was he getting through to John, working on the man’s fears? It was hard to tell, Cena had a poker face. But this was the tack he’d chosen and he kept on going. “You want children deep down inside, don’t you Johnny?”

The way Cena started, Edge knew he’d pushed a button. “I knew it. Oh, you convince yourself that it’s impossible and a sacrifice you don’t mind making, but that doesn’t stop you wondering what it might be like, some kid with his eyes and your dimples. You can’t adopt thanks to your nocturnal life, but then you think about how Barrett took in Justin and you think, yeah... perhaps one day...” The grin that overtook his face was scornful. “But you never really thought about Randy in all that. You never think about him at all, not really. You think he’s your soul mate or some such fucking shit, but be serious. You only care about him while he fits into your life. That wild streak a mile wide, that’s what makes him what he is. But you – you killed his spirit. You put a silver collar around his neck, called him a good dog and you can’t be happy unless he’s whining at your heels.” 

Leaning against the chair and allowing his wrists to relax so they weren’t being so cut up by the ropes, Edge regarded John. Outwardly he hadn’t changed his position at all, although Edge thought he could see something in his eyes, some uncertainty. “That’s why I wanted to take him far away from you. It sickens me to see Randy as the lap-dog you turned him into. You changed him, for the worst. The real Randy is buried in there somewhere, despising you. Randy and I were brothers—“ Edge fixed his eyes on John’s, unblinking, face serious. “We were friends. I was the first person who ever fucked him and no matter what you want to believe, he loved every second. I fail to see how someone like you could hold his interest. I wanted to remind him what he’d lost. And being with you? He’s lost.”

“You’ve no idea what Randy wants,” growled John, voice low and angry. 

“Whatever.” Edge rolled his eyes. “Let me guess. Randy was outta line last night and you brought him back to heel. When he came after me, well, you should’ve seen him. He was incredible, all fire and fury, primal, protecting what he thought he’d claimed. But you’ll never see him that way, you know it. Because you only want some tame bitch. What, you told him bad dogs don’t get a bone? Rubbed his nose in the mess he left? Trying to kill the little bit of fire you left him with?”

John was deceptively fast. One moment he was facing Edge, the next moment Edge found his hair pulled back, the chair angled dangerously, staring into the cold eyes of Cena. At that moment, Edge honestly believed the man could kill him, without mercy or regret. But backing down would make that even more likely and from somewhere, he found a reserve of bravado.

“You really wanna know what the worst thing to ever happen to Randy was?” he rasped, feeling every wound that Chris had left on him, every aching muscle, his desperate, raging thirst. But he would not show weakness. “It’s you. You’re the worst thing that could ever have happened to him, because if you killed him quick then it’s done with. But killing him slow, smothering him like you are – you loan him despair. Misery. You cheated him for your own selfish—“

He never got a chance to finish the thought; a moment later the chair toppled as John threw it and him across the room. Edge landed on his already abused shoulder, whining quietly and yet there was a part of him that was viciously pleased. He got to Cena, pissed him off, made him doubt. And it was those first chinks that eventually widened to a real divide. 

He groaned, pulling at his bonds. The chair had definitely started to give, weakened where the back was attached. Thanks Johnny. He didn’t show it though, thinking that if he was left alone long enough, he could use it to his advantage... assuming that he hadn’t pushed Cena too far. The man strode across the cellar after him, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and raising him from the floor, still tied to the chair. A moment later, he got a fist to the gut that would have doubled him over had he not been tied in the way he was. Breath whooshed out of him and he coughed, hating the way he sounded so damn weak. But they’d soon find out that he wasn’t. 

“Tough guy when you’re fighting someone who can’t fight back.” The words came out choked, but there was still a slight smile on his face. “Real easy to beat up a guy who can’t use his fists against you. Untie me Johnny-boy, see if you can fight like a man and not a chickenshit coward.”

For a second, he thought that John was going to do just that. There was certainly that look in John’s eyes, the one that he recognised – the look of someone willing to fight to the death to defend what was his, ready to go to any lengths. Even if he hadn’t been in his current state, there was no way that he could beat John in a fair fight. But then, who said he was planning to fight fair? He wanted to rid himself of the ropes, that was first. Then incapacitate John, kill him if he could. Then he could make his escape. 

“Put him down John.”

Both men had been so focused on one another that they hadn’t realised the door had opened, immediately they both whipped their heads around to look at the source of the voice. Chris stood at the top of the stairs, surveying the scene. John recognised the command for what it was and released Edge, a groan emerging from teh blonde as he hit the floor yet again. 

“Leave him,” Chris continued. “Get up here. We’ve gotta decide what we’re gonna do with his sorry carcass.”

“Yeah, cure me or kill me.” Edge laughed, in spite of the undignified position he found himself in. “Did it ever occur to you that what you’ve turned Randy into, he might not want to kill me? Huh?”

John paused at the foot of the stairs. “You’re not the first guy to shoot me Edge, that idea’s not original with you.” His voice was mild, considering the near-fight. “The last guy was only doing his job, but Randy tore his throat out without hesitating. In front of me. And he doesn’t regret it.” He turned his head to look at the man on the floor. “Nor do I. I’d let him do it again and I’d watch, since it’s more personal this time.”

Edge paused a moment, taking a breath. He could smell John above all others, Chris’ alpha scent from where he watched. Someone else. He smirked. “Hey Evvie,” he called out gaily. “If this is ghosts of maulings past, shouldn’t you be coming to pay me a visit too? I’ll look forward to it! You just looked so cute all rumpled like the last time I saw you...” He trailed off laughing as Chris went to move down the stairs after him, blocked by John’s bulk and the narrowness they’d have to fight for him to get past. 

“Don’t let him goad you Chris,” said John, blue eyes meeting blue. 

“Did you let him goad you?” Chris countered. When John dropped his gaze a little, Chris was certain that John had come up against Edge’s mind games for the first time. “Thought so. We decide what we’re doing with him, now. Come on.”

They went back into the kitchen, Chris slamming and locking the door behind them. Evan was there just as Edge had realised, white as a sheet having clearly heard the others words. Chris went straight to him and wrapped his arms around his mate, Evan burying his head into the man’s chest and inhaling the calming scent that was Chris, clean from his recent shower and with Evan’s own scent coming from him still. 

“What did he say?” asked Chris without preamble. 

“That I’m smothering Randy. Killing his spirit, changing him into something he hates for my own selfish needs.” John gave a shuddering sigh. “I don’t know. Some of the things he said – how can he know? He got straight to the heart of everything. He knew what happened between me and Randy last night. He knew stuff I’ve never even brought up with Randy. I don’t know how he knows.”

“Edge is like that,” said Randy unexpectedly. The three men glanced up as he strode noiselessly into the kitchen, dressed in jeans and a plain t-shirt, unsmiling. John could smell that he hadn’t showered, their combined scents radiating from him. He wondered if Randy had done that deliberately or if he had just woken to find John missing and gone looking for him without thinking about it. Probably the latter, knowing that Edge was in the house. “There’s a lot he says he doesn’t approve of or doesn’t understand, but he understands people enough to be able to use things against them.” He leaned against the fridge, all business, gaze sweeping over the other three. “I say, you give me five minutes alone with him. Then we dig a big hole and bury what’s left.”

Evan looked at Chris, his face worried and confused. “I – I don’t get it, are we taking a vote or something? Or just discussing it? Shouldn’t we wait for Ted and Cody?”

“No point Ev,” said Randy, a little gentleness entering his voice. “The kids were in the middle of it last night, but they’ve not dealt with the guy enough to realise just what’s at stake here. And I don’t wanna be the one watching if they have to find out the consequences of showing mercy.”

Chris raised his eyebrows. “Was that a dig?”

“Nope. I think you did right then, given the circumstances and what we knew. On the other hand, now we know better and we should act like we do. We know he’s dangerous and we know he’s got it in for all of us. We can’t afford to let him go this time.”

“And how personal is this?”

“Very.” Randy’s eyes went to John, resting on his midriff, where the clothes covered the bandage. “Isn’t it for you?”

Chris nodded slowly. “Very. You sure you want to do this?”

“Out of all of us, I’m the only one who ever killed someone in wolf form. I think it has to be me.” Randy met Chris’ eyes, realising with a slight thrill that he was actually going to get permission to do this. No more chances, he was going to be the one to end it for good.

“Whoa, wait.” John raised both hands, gesturing them to stop that line of thought. In spite of Randy’s apparent icy calm he didn’t believe for a moment that his mate actually felt that way, or would once it was all over. Regardless of what he’d said, he wouldn’t enjoy watching Randy tearing Edge limb from limb – although watch he would, he owed his mate that much. If it happened. “Are we really going to do this? There’s no other choices that you can think of?”

“No good ones,” said Chris. “We let him go, he comes back. We keep him down there, we’re always worried about him escaping. There’s no one else to hand him off to, this is our problem and we have to do something about it.”

John sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It just – I dunno, it feels different. Killing someone in battle, that’s one thing. Talking it through first, that makes it feel...” Like planning murder he wanted to say, but didn’t. Randy seemed willing to take the reins in this one and he didn’t want to make his mate feel worse once it was all over and done with. He knew Randy still thought of the faceless soldier that had put a bullet in John a long time ago, the one Randy had killed. Would it be worse because he had known Edge, or better knowing what he was capable of?

“John.” Randy pushed himself off the wall he leant against, went to his mate and took both his hands into his, drawing them to his body. John looked into his eyes and Edge’s words came back to him; Randy was a passionate, loving, caring man most of the time – but there was that side of him that would never be tamed. The side that could go down there and kill Edge while he remained tied up, without a shred of remorse. But it needed to be done, so that surely was a blessing? And John had loved that wildness about his mate just as much as he loved everything else about him. 

“We need to do this,” Randy said calmly, but the look in his eyes contained clear apology. It made John wonder if he would have the same opinion had John not been so furious and scared the night before. “Get rid of him, while we can. And quickly. We can talk this over from now ‘til doomsday and what we need to do will still be the same thing.”

~:~

Eventually they all agreed that they would take of the Edge situation later on that evening. And by ‘they’ it meant Randy, Chris and John. John was only going to be present for Randy’s sake, and Chris was going to be there because it was the alpha’s duty to be present for such things. Randy didn’t seem overly fussed about what he was going to do, and Chris seemed strangely calm… John was the one who was currently questioning whether both men were sane. Evan didn’t seem especially happy about everything either, but well, what say would he have now Chris had made the decision?

John left the kitchen shortly after the decision had made, heading outside and to the woods. Evan didn’t think he was in any position to change by that point, nowhere near healed enough to cope with the physical strain, but he wasn’t too sure… and maybe that subconscious fear was one of the reasons that spurred Randy into immediately following his mate outside. That left Evan alone with his mate in the kitchen. Chris saw the emotions flickering over his mate’s face and moved to him placing his arms around the smaller man and drawing him close once more. “I want you to stay in the house when we take Edge later.” He was not having that man’s blood spilt in their home—well, not in a serious manner.

“But, Chris—“Even started, Ted’s arrival being the only thing to make Evan’s mouth snap shut again. Immediately Ted sensed that there was something up, his head cocking to one side as he regarded both of his pack-brothers. “What’s happening?” It seemed Ted had only come down to get something to eat seeing as how he was clad only in a pair of sweatpants and not wearing a top. Chris gently pecked Evan’s forehead and then patted Evan on the backside lightly, “Go on and do something so that Teddy and I can talk, Puppy.”

Had it not been for the fact that he really didn’t want to be around for that conversation then Evan would probably have been very offended by Chris’ manner even though he knew the other was doing what he felt was necessary to protect him. As he reached the kitchen door he stopped, looking to Ted. “Ted… where’s Cody?” Ted’s expression softened a little as he sighed, “He’s still in bed. He’s feeling a little under the weather this morning.” It was understandable really; Cody didn’t have a violent disposition and had probably never even seen any sort of gun before unless it was on TV. Seeing Evan’s expression he casually suggested, “Maybe having a chat with you would perk him up.”

~:~

John leant against one of the trees, a hand digging into the wood and his other hand braced underneath it. His stomach was hurting less now but that was probably because he’d had enough painkillers to overdose a normal human three times over. Randy was standing a little bit behind him, watching the interesting way John’s muscles moved underneath the thin material of his t-shirt. He knew that he had more important things to be thinking of but John’s attractiveness was always hitting him in a manner that refused to be denied. “How are you alright with this?” John was the one to speak and Randy cocked his head, looking confused. “What?” John wouldn’t turn to look at him so Randy moved so that he had no choice but to.

“You know what!” John’s eyes narrowed slightly as he knew Randy was being deliberately evasive, “I know you’re not Ok with killing, regardless of how much you might think you’re not bothered by it!” Randy took John’s chin in his hand, making the smaller man look up at him. The way that John avoided his eyes alerted him to the fact that there was something more bothering his mate than the prospect of Randy ending another life… though he couldn’t quite bring himself to consider Edge human regardless of the fact that the man didn’t spend all his time on four legs. “What is it that’s really bothering you, John-John? Don’t lie to me.” John bristled slightly; Randy was hardly in a position to make demands.

John took a breath, closing his eyes. He had never confessed to Randy how much he wanted a child of his own, though one day he had hoped to somehow broach the subject with the other. He knew it would be something that was far from easy, but at the same time he couldn’t help hoping. This was hardly how he had hoped to do it, but he knew Randy wasn’t going to let him go on the matter and, well, now that Edge had exposed so many points John had thought he had kept well-hidden he was beginning to second-guess himself. Squaring his shoulders a little he then pulled from his mate’s grasp and moved away from him a little.

“Edge said some things to me—“he forestalled Randy before his lover could start protesting before he’d even started, “—and, well, I’m a little bit off with it all because they’re things that I’ve never even told you.” Randy immediately stilled, seeming almost like a living statue for moments. “What haven’t you possibly told me?” This time Randy was the one beginning to get angry, working up to a tirade. However, when John said, “He says that I’m killing you inside and he knows that I want a baby with you.” Randy was so stunned that his jaw snapped shut audibly with a force that would probably have knocked the teeth from his mouth had they been normal human-beings.

~:~

“So…” Ted took a breath and let it out as he looked to his alpha. “We’re actually going to do this?” He couldn’t deny he was stunned; sometimes it was easy to forget that deep down they were a very dangerous species of animal and that such things were what fell under their jurisdiction. Chris’ head popped up from where he had been looking to the phone he had in his hand, brow rising and expression denoting pure surprise. “What we are going to do?”

Ted nodded firmly; the usually sweet countenance that he possessed being replaced by one that would have suited him as a poker-face had he actually made it to the Marines like he was intending to. “Well, yeah. ‘We’ as in me being with you guys.” He then stopped slightly, seemingly realising what he was committing himself to. If he turned around and said that he didn’t want to be a part of it later Chris wouldn’t blame him.

However, that wasn’t what Ted said. The man’s voice was a little strained but his expression was oddly calm as he said, “Edge has messed with a lot of people’s lives, but most importantly he has messed with my mate and my pack-brothers, my friends,” he enunciated and Chris felt strangely warm in his chest when Ted expressed that he genuinely counted them all (barring Cody for obvious reasons since he was more than just a friend) as friends and wanted to be around them. “—and I want to help remove such a dangerous person from the world.”

Chris reached, placing a hand on Ted’s shoulder. “Teddy…” it struck him how much Ted, and indeed even Randy, had grown up when he saw them taking to the responsibility of the situations and of the pack with an aplomb that even he struggled to maintain sometimes and he had had much more practice than they had. “Thank you. If you change your mind later I won’t hold it against you, or think you’re weak, and rest assured you won’t actually have to have a hand in it because…” Ted looked confused as Chris hesitated, but then when he carried on he merely looked stunned, “—because Randy is going to be the one to do it.”

Ted gasped slightly at the news, then stopped and whistled slightly when the news sank in some more. “Randy? Randy’s going to…” he seemed to make a connection though and Chris was glad that he wasn’t going to have to explain it over and over again. He knew that John wasn’t going to forgive him for a while over giving Randy permission to do this, but it was what was needed. Ted –and Cody, as Randy had rightly stated previously- didn’t totally understand the crucial factor behind the element of ‘now’ when it came to dealing with Edge.

“Well, I’m with you all the way, whatever happens, Chris.” Ted told his alpha; it was the least he could do and he was sure that moral support (or an extra pair of hands) was going to be needed at some point during the night. He started to stand up, no doubt planning on going to check on Cody, but then he paused and looked to his alpha. “Chris… can, um, can you, uh, about this evening—“the younger man seemed really uncertain and Chris waited for him to speak; though something told him that he knew what the other was going to ask him.

“You’d like me to make it so Cody has to stay here?” Ted nodded his head, looking sheepish, and Chris nodded, waving the other’s concerns and explanations off. “Don’t worry about it, Teddy; I’ve decided to make Evan stay here tonight too. It’s bad enough we’re all seeing it, I suppose, but him –and Cody- would just… not be able to handle it.” It wasn’t as though neither man hadn’t seen violence before (considering the fight that they had witnessed between Chris and Wade and all) but it was one thing to see violence but it was another thing altogether to watch someone getting taken down in a manner that it was not possible to get back up from. “Thanks Chris. I know he’ll probably be mad, but I’d feel better knowing…”

“Knowing that he wasn’t going to see anything like that?” Chris supplied and Ted nodded his head. Looking to the phone in Chris’ hand he asked, “You going to make a call?” Chris looked down at the phone too and then nodded, “Yeah… I think I’d better.” He deliberated on pushing the other further on the matter but Chris didn’t seem to want to tell him more than that and so he let it go. “I’m going to go up and get back to Cody. He seemed rather down earlier and well, you know, hopefully having a chat with Evan has helped him relax a little.” His lover seemed to have grown very close to Evan and he felt reassured that his mate was integrating himself further and further into the pack and seeming to get closer and closer to the people who were defacto his family.

“Alright… I’ll probably be up myself when I’ve sorted this.” He indicated the phone and Ted nodded his head, making his way upstairs. As he was heading past one of the windows that looked out to the front of the house he saw John making his way back towards the house. He had gathered that Randy had followed his mate outside and he didn’t understand why Randy wouldn’t be following him back in, unless… they hadn’t rowed, had they? He hoped not though it would be understandable with the amount of stuff they’d had on their plates recently.

Reaching his and Cody’s room he pushed the door open. The sight that greeted him made him falter a step in surprise, but also brought a smile to his face because it was surprisingly cute and had a strange innocent sweetness to it: Evan and Cody were both curled underneath the covers, on their fronts, talking to one another with their heads resting on the pillows of their arms. They were talking softly, and although no one appeared upset Ted could bet they’d had a heart-to-heart with one another. “It’s a good job I’m not overly jealous or I’d be pitching a fit about you in bed with another man.” He quipped, both men jumping and turning to look at him with smiles as they laughed a little.

~~~~~

When the phone began to ring Wade had been hasty to answer it because Justin was in the bathroom and he didn’t want the other’s more relaxed mood ruined by jumping to conclusions over a phone-call—only this was one phone-call where the other wouldn’t have been jumping to conclusions; for there, on the other end of the phone-line, was Chris Jericho. The man had obviously called them back on the number that he had left their message about Edge with. Immediately he was on the defensive, voice lowering as a sense of foreboding filled him. “Jericho?” he addressed warily in case he had gotten the person wrong completely through a strange expectancy. “Hello, Wade,” the voice was oddly casual. Too casual. “This a bad time?”

Wade’s eyes flickered to the bathroom door before he got up and pulled one some boxers with one hand and went out onto the balcony of the flat he and Justin were renting. “No, this isn’t a bad time but, er,” he ran a hand through his dark hair, the chilling air of the oncoming evening not bothering him even though he was so pointedly undressed. “—why exactly are you calling me?” he wasn’t being rude, he was just confused; he had assumed that after his last warning they’d have nothing to do with one another. Chris gave a wan chuckle on the other end of the line, as though he had been anticipating such a question, and responded with, “Something came up that I felt compelled to discuss with you, Wade. Alpha to alpha.”

It was strange; unlike whenever Edge had addressed him as an alpha in the past he’d felt as though the man was laughing at him, Chris didn’t seem to be belittling him in any fashion and was instead giving him the respect that he had never really seemed to have received from the people who had supposedly been his pack. Wade didn’t know where all of these feelings were coming from but they were making him feel strangely emotional and so he hastily forced all of that aside to focus on what was being said to him. “Go ahead.” He felt himself straightening his posture, as though someone could see him slouching, and stopped himself.

“We have Edge.” Chris supposed that dancing around the obvious wouldn’t be appreciated and he was cutting it close enough as it was attempting to call Wade when he was in a house full of werewolves who were already on Edge because of the name of the man he had just given. Brows raising Wade licked his lips slightly and waited for the feelings of fury and injustice to kick in, something reminiscent of all Edge had done for him in his youth… but there was nothing. Instead there was a frightening sense of satisfaction… like Edge would be getting what he deserved. That knocked him off of his proverbial footing a little, needing a moment.

“Wade?” the other man was so quiet on the other end of the line that Chris momentarily thought he’d put the phone down on him or something. Needless to say the silence had given Chris a momentary sense of unease; had he done completely the wrong thing and told Wade that they had Edge? Would he suddenly be overtaken with a sense of loyalty to the man and want to come and take him from them? Would he want to fight them for Edge’s freedom?

Even as those thoughts were rising to a crescendo in Chris’ mind Wade’s shockingly level voice sounded in his ear, “And you intend to exterminate him?” Chris almost, almost smiled, even though the situation was totally wrong and it would have been highly inappropriate; ‘exterminate’ had been one of Barrett’s favourite words to use when they had been in his pack, regardless of whether he was talking about something serious or something as silly as a villain on one of the games Christian had used to play on his numerous games consoles.

“Something along those lines, yes.” Well, Wade might not have a pack anymore but it wouldn’t do for him and Justin to become unnecessary vigilantes for Edge; they had almost destroyed their lives for him once and he didn’t want to see him (or Justin) doing it again. To say that he was stunned when the anger that he had been expecting didn’t appear, was nothing compared to what he felt when Wade’s voice sounded crystal clear in his ear, “I’d like to be there.” It was so polite and proper that Chris was momentarily dazed enough with surprise to tell the other that there wasn’t exactly a need for formal acceptance; it wasn’t a party.

And then he really took stock of what had been said to him and his eyes widened a fraction. Wade wanted to be there when they--? Clearing his throat slightly, Chris said lowly, “Wade… Look, I know that he’s fucked you over somewhat and all but I don’t know if you really wanna—“he was cut off by a slight growl coming from the other end of the line, his brows almost vanishing into his hairline when Wade said, “He used me and threatened Justin: if he’s going then I’m gonna damn well be there.” Chris had to bow (metaphorically, not really) to Wade’s determination. “If you’re sure.”

He exhaled a breath and frowned; as of yet they didn’t exactly know where they were going to take Edge, except away from the house, and something told him that Wade wouldn’t want Justin being left on his own. If ever there were two people who were meant to be mates it was those two and they were wasting precious time because of the garbage their impressionable minds had been filled with when they were only young children. “We don’t know where it will be done. Currently we have him at our home, but that’s only for necessity.”

Wade nodded his head, so focused on the conversation that he was involved in that he didn’t notice the door to the balcony opening and Justin stepping out behind him. Justin was equally naked, his dark hair damp and glinting slightly in the low light from the room behind them. Momentarily he was filled with a strange irrational jealousy when he realised Wade was attempting to make a call in secret, but that jealousy died faster than a switch being clicked off when he realised just who was on the other end of the line. Why were Wade and Chris speaking to one another?

When a hand touched his exposed back Wade startled, head turning sharply to find himself confronted with Justin’s big, dark eyes, the expression within them one of unease and fear and Wade immediately brought his free hand up to cup the other man’s cheek and stroked his thumb over the bone. “I can meet you.” He said, seeing the way Justin jerked and felt the other grasp at his hand desperately, obviously jumping to conclusions about why he wanted to meet Chris. “I will be bringing Justin, with me,” he said, Justin’s eyes widening once more, no doubt dying to ask what was going on but not wanting to risk his alpha’s wrath by interrupting him.

“Are you sure you want him to see something like that?” Chris said, brow furrowing, “My mate sure as hell won’t be, and Ted’s mate won’t either.” Wade didn’t need the other alpha to elaborate on why Orton’s mate (the one he had admittedly had previous designs on which had now all-but faded completely to be replaced by his old feelings towards Justin) was going to be present when the rest of them were so obviously being kept out of the way through concern for their wellbeing. Wade gave a slight bitter laugh that Chris would have bet his old, precious guitar that contained an undertone of regret, “Well, I can hardly expect that he’d be welcomed in your home for the duration, could I?”

He sincerely doubted whether he was going to be tolerated even though he was going to be helping and not hindering. Chris exhaled a breath and then looked up to the ceiling over his head to the floor that contained his beloved Evan; he was probably going to be very unhappy about what Chris was about to do, and Chris was also warring with himself here, but he then said formally, “Your mate will be guaranteed safe asylum here until our objective is completed.”

A blush covered Wade’s face at the words, immediately going to protest that Justin wasn’t his mate… until he saw the way Justin seemed to be physically steeling himself for the words. Not saying anything about the choice of phrasing in the end, Wade merely thanked Chris and promised that Justin wouldn’t make trouble. It appeared Justin took offence to the words though because he suddenly bit Wade sharply on his backside. Yelping, Wade shot Justin a warning look and mouthed, “Minx,” before focusing his attention back to Chris.

“Alright. I’ll square it with everyone here. Do you have a pen?” Wade looked to Justin and the other man padded into the flat and found a notepad and pen, waiting expectantly for what Wade was about to dictate to him. Chris gave the address of the manor and Wade repeated it out for Justin to write down. “We’ll be seeing you soon then.” The pair exchanged polite goodbyes before ending the call, and Wade took a breath before looking to Justin. And, as he had been anticipating, his mate—ahem, he meant, the other man, looked rather pissed off.

And, inappropriate as it was given what he was going to be partaking in later, and how he had knots in his stomach at the prospect of dealing with the pack that he had not-too-long-before being attempting to destroy, he couldn’t help but thinking how gorgeous Justin looked with his bottom lip pouting out, his hands on his hips and his gloriously nude body on display for Wade’s admiring gaze even though he himself seemed unaware of his undressed state. “Wade—“Wade exhaled and gently ushered the other back into the flat, shaking his head as he placed his hands on Justin’s shoulders.

“They’re going to get rid of Edge.” He said before Justin could really get geared into his rant about Wade being irresponsible for dealing with Chris after what had happened or whatever and it seemed that the shock had actually rendered the other man incapable of speech. “I’m going to be there, but you’re going to stay with the mates.” He then paused and amended, “Well, almost all of them.” The speechlessness seemed to be abated immediately by that, his eyes almost popping out of his head as a high, panic-stricken whine left him involuntarily.

“Wade, are you crazy? They’ll kill me!” and not that he could blame them after what he had done to one of their own, even though he had admittedly been chock-full of lies and illusions of grandeur then, that wouldn’t be considered an excuse in their eyes and he doubted they’d even let him make it through the front door. “No they won’t.” Wade knew that he could trust Chris; the man had given him his word and he seemed the type whose word was their bond. “Now get dressed.” Recognising a command when he heard one Justin reluctantly obeyed.

He pulled on a t-shirt and some boxers, and then some rather baggy jeans and a thick jumper. Justin wasn’t the most fashion obsessed man on the planet but Wade was a little surprised by the slovenly manner of dress that the other had adopted. When he asked the other why he had chosen those clothes in particular Justin responded dully that, “It would keep him warm when they made him sit outside until Wade got back.” Wade sighed softly at the words, finishing changing himself before then hugging Justin close to him.

“Justin, you’ll be safe. If I didn’t trust that Chris was on the level with us then I wouldn’t chance your well-being like that, you know I wouldn’t,” he said pointedly and Justin couldn’t really deny that; everything that Wade had done in the past had always been factored in with how Justin would react, or how Justin would fit into the grand scheme of things. “Alright… alright.” Justin conceded weakly, seeing the way Wade was silently pleading for his cooperation with his deep, mesmerising eyes. “Just… please promise me that you’ll look after yourself?” he asked, hating how pathetic he sounded.

Wade quirked a small smile, wrapping an arm around Justin’s waist when they both made their way out of the flat. “I will.” He assured, locking the door behind them with his free hand. Before too long they were settled in the car and Wade typed in Chris’ address onto an app on his phone and handed it to Justin so that the other man could give him directions as of when. It was already getting on in the afternoon, and according to the phone it was a good two, three hours’ drive, so it would be getting on for time when they got there. Absently Wade wondered whether they should stop for food, but then figured that it wouldn’t do to drag this out more-so than necessary.

Justin read the directions off to Wade, though one of his hands was situated atop Wade’s thigh and was squeezing and kneading in a manner that seemed completely subconscious. Soon they were pulling into the village wherein they had executed the abduction of Evan. Justin whimpered piteously, seeming to sink lower into the seat and Wade took one hand from the wheel to take Justin’s and link their fingers together. They’d better be nice to Justin, they’d just better. They’d made a mistake; didn’t they deserve a chance to apologise?

As their car was pulling into the large drive of the (fucking massive) mansion that Chris and his pack apparently lived in, inside the house four men were preparing for a taxing night’s work and two others were going mental over the fact that they were being left behind—and that they were being joined by someone else. Evan had started shouting so loudly that Chris had taken him into another room and closed the heavy door behind them… not that it muted the shouting much.

“Puppy—Evvy—EVAN!” raising his voice reluctantly, Chris managed to get his mate to stop ranting. The other’s body seemed to be all but vibrating with tension and upset, and Chris held him close even though the other tried to remain rigid in his hold and pull away. “Wade doesn’t want Justin to see what we’re going to do, and he didn’t want to leave the other alone.” He didn’t think he was being unreasonable; he’d never have done it if he’d thought Evan would have been genuinely upset or hurt by the decision.

“So we’re just going to let them have the run of the place.” Evan’s voice was shaking. “Chris, how can we be safe here now they know where we live? How can I? You’re going to leave me and Cody alone with the man who did – that to me and in case you didn’t notice, he only looks small compared to Wade.”

“He’ll be somewhere you don’t have to lay eyes on him at all, if that’s what you want,” said Chris, realising he’d made a tactical error this time. Fuck, but there had been so much going on and his mind was overloaded, he had misjudged just how badly this could backfire. He’d also had some notion of Evan facing his fears of the other and maybe realising that Justin was no longer a threat to him – but he hadn’t used any empathy for Evan when he had agreed to let Wade bring the man. He had been empathising with Wade instead, thinking that no alpha wanted their mate to witness such a thing. And the headway Evan had made since his attack might well have been undone. 

“I don’t want to see him, I don’t want to smell him, I just want everything to go back to normal!” 

It might be far too late for that, reflected Chris as he caught the sound of a car engine outside. “Puppy – I’m sorry. It was a mistake, but I had to know for sure that Wade was aware of the situation and that he wasn’t going to hunt us down over this. I will apologise forever, I’ll spend the rest of my life making you feel safe and untouched, but right now, it’s too late to undo and I need to deal with it.” He drew away from Evan slightly, looking into his eyes. “You and Cody can stay in here, or in Cody’s room and I’ll put Justin in the living room with a bag of crisps and a DVD if that’s what you want. Once it’s over, he’ll be gone and you will never have to see him again. You have my promise that if you don’t want to lay eyes on him again then I will do all I can to make that happen.”

Evan nodded, looking at the floor. “Make it quick Chris. Not just to get them away, but it’s not good to let Edge suffer either. Just – let’s get this all over with. I just want our lives back.”

“I know Puppy, and we’ll have that. I swear it.” Chris kissed Evan on the forehead, knowing that he wasn’t forgiven by a long shot, but that Evan knew as well as he did that there was no time to get into an argument over it. Wade was there and regardless of how he felt – he was very, very uncertain about having the man there and certainly since Evan had freaked, Justin too - they had a task to complete. Then Wade could take his mate and vanish into the world. He probably would have done already if he’d had anywhere to go and no injuries to recover from. Theoretically if they had been hiding out on Chris’ territory he should have dealt with the situation already, but he hadn’t had the time or the inclination to do so. 

“Go on upstairs,” he said firmly. “I’ll deal with this and by the morning, it’ll be like they were never here. Any of them.” He included Edge in the phrase, because he knew that Evan wasn’t happy about his presence either. Evan sighed and Chris watched as the younger man headed for the door, starting to hurry slightly as the engine outside grew louder, able to tell thanks to his sensitive hearing that it had turned down the long drive. Chris had only a few minutes before they were on the doorstep and decided it might be a good time to get himself a drink.

Passing the dining room, he heard a rather heated discussion going on and paused. Ted and Cody; apparently Cody was none too pleased about being left out of the whole affair. Chris understood how the man felt, Cody wanted to be there to protect and support his mate even though Ted was really only there to protect and support his pack. But he was with Ted on this one, there was no reason that Cody had to be around for that. And he had his own reasons for wanting Cody to stay behind. 

He walked into the dining room, both of the younger men turning their heads as he entered. “Cody, I know you’re not happy about having to stay behind, but I need to ask you a favour. It’s important.” He sighed a little, running a hand through his hair – damn, he had been trying to look unruffled when Wade arrived, not wanting to show any weakness at all, even something so small as being unnerved. “Evvy’s upstairs and he’s a bit upset himself – you know he’s not looking forward to Justin being here and I don’t blame him.” He frowned a little at the narrowed eyes Cody displayed, he knew that Evan and Cody had become close friends in a short time and he was sure that Cody wouldn’t mind exacting a little revenge on Evan’s behalf. But according to Evan, in a fair fight he had actually bested Justin, even that wasn’t the point. “I’ve promised that they will both be safe here for the duration of our agreement and as long as they behave themselves,” he reminded the two sharply. “But that’s not going to make Evan feel much better. I’d like you to be there for him while I deal with this. I shouldn’t think he’ll want to be alone and I’ve promised him he won’t even have to see Justin while he’s here.” He allowed his voice to soften a little. “Can you do that for me? And him?”

Cody nodded. “I don’t like the thought of leaving you guys dealing with Edge without me—“ Ted’s hand reached for Cody’s and Cody took it, squeezing tightly. “But I’ll stay here with Evan. But you have to make sure nothing happens to any of the pack Chris. That Edge... he managed to shoot John, almost got away with kidnapping Randy, from what we know he got away with taking Wade and Justin years ago. I don’t think he’s gonna go down without another fight.”

Chris nodded, thinking that Cody was astute and it would be easy for him to underestimate the young man, but wrong to do so. “I think you’re right and I’ll take every care.” There was a knock at the door, the heavy knocker being used rather than the more accessible doorbell. It sounded like a summons of doom. Chris bit his lip, this was it. Time to face them, and he had to keep his temper knowing exactly what Justin had done to Evan and how his Puppy seemed so changed through it. Not gone, but it was proving so hard to bring his Evan from inside himself. “Cody, you go on up after Evan. Ted, wait here. Randy and John are still upstairs but I think that banging’ll bring them down. I’ll go greet our guests.”

He went to the door, opened it to find Wade standing stiffly on the step, drawn up to his full height. Chris decided he had to be at least six-six, maybe six-seven. Behind Wade and clearly reluctant to be there, was Justin. Next to his mate he looked almost small and Chris was surprised to realise that Justin had to be the same height as him, maybe a touch taller. Justin’s dark eyes settled on him worriedly and Chris saw that he was lagging back, almost hiding behind Wade’s body. Waiting for Chris to take some payback.

The urge was there, certainly. Thinking of Evan sobbing on the floor of the shower, how he’d tried to harm himself, how his smile seemed to have dimmed since all that had happened and was only just starting to come back – yeah, Chris could easily have given in to his instincts and savaged Justin, regardless of Wade’s presence. But they had a common enemy and in an odd way, he thought that Justin was just as much a victim of all this as Evan was. Not that it made him pity the man any. 

“Wade,” he said in a rather formal voice, standing aside. “Justin. Come in.” Wade seemed to have no problem with that but Chris could see how Justin seemed to hesitate, almost but not quite reaching for Wade’s hand to tug him back out of the house. “You won’t come to any harm from any member of my pack,” he said, focused on Justin rather than Wade. “Everyone is well aware that you’re guaranteed safety from us the entire time you’re here.” He smirked a little. “Although the entire pack won’t be joining us.”

Wade strode into the house, looking around clearly impressed. Chris could be something of a show-off and the manor was tastefully decorated with the occasional flash of ostentation. Wade raised an eyebrow at a picture of Chris’ first ever world tour, with the other members of his band, looking like glam rock trying to be emo grunge. “I’ve never seen so much spandex in one place.”

“Then you don’t read enough comic books,” said Chris promptly. “We were young and tasteless back then, but it was a helluva ride. Don’t worry, the rest of the house isn’t a shrine to my career.” 

He led them to the living room, indicating for them to sit in the couch that was usually the province of Ted and Cody. Justin was chewing his lip anxiously, his gaze flickering to a picture of Chris and Evan that was on the wall. It wasn’t a large picture, but it was clear that both men were more than happy, Evan curled up against Chris and laughing at the camera while Chris looked like all his Christmases had come at once. It was obvious that he was trying to sit as close to Wade as he could without being obvious about it and Chris saw Wade’s hand rest a moment on Justin’s thigh, as if to calm him. Oh yes, those two were mates even if they didn’t see or believe it themselves. 

It was an odd atmosphere in the room, Chris not liking that he wasn’t sure how to handle things from here. Small talk wasn’t really an option, so it was probably best to just get down to business. “Edge is in the cellar,” he said. “We took him last night – he tried to lure Randy from the manor and take him. Obviously with that and what happened to John, I couldn’t allow him to go free again. He’s proven to be just too dangerous.”

Wade looked blank, going to push a strand of hair out of his way. There was something odd about the movement and it took Chris a moment to realise what it was; the action had been habitual and unconscious and had exposed that Wade was missing a large chunk of his ear. Chris remembered eating it to psych the other out and started to feel a little queasy. They would eat things in wolf form that they would never do as humans, still, that had been something he could have done without being reminded of.

“What could Edge have done to John?” he asked. “They didn’t even meet until that night, I’m pretty sure of that. He would have said if he’d encountered him before. Had a lot of dislike for him.”

Chris blinked. “You don’t – oh hell, no, you wouldn’t. It happened after the rest of the pack took you away, there was only Edge and Punk still there.” He took a breath, thinking that he should have realised Wade and Justin would still be in the dark about it all. There was a part of him that didn’t want to share the information with them, not wanting someone he had called enemy to know too much about them. But that was foolish, it would become obvious soon. “Edge taunted John into attacking him and then shot him.” Neither Wade nor Justin looked especially taken aback by this and Chris added the qualifier, “With a silver bullet.”

He watched closely as Wade and Justin looked genuinely taken aback. “I take it he didn’t let you in on him having one then?” he asked. 

“I would have taken it off him and got rid of it if I’d known,” said Wade. “Having one of those in a pack of werewolves is asking for trouble. I wouldn’t have trusted him not to use it against one of us.”

Chris noted that if he couldn’t trust his pack and they could keep secrets from him, then it wasn’t the most cohesive of units anyway, but Justin spoke before he could point that out, apparently forgetting his fear in the light of this revelation. “He had some kind of plan in mind and he didn’t use it until after the fight – Wade, he didn’t get that thing to help us out.”

“Angel, it’s—“

“You said he was using us yourself,” interrupted Justin. “He was waiting for some chance to use that thing and he didn’t take it until after. Maybe he never thought you could win. He made us believe it would be easy and he was wrong. Or maybe he was going to use you to get rid of Chris and then...” He gave a shuddering breath. “And then use it to get rid of you.”

Wade was silent for long moments. “It’s hard to guess what his intentions were, now that we’ve found out they weren’t for the good of us, or the pack.” He gave Chris a look that spoke of how uncomfortable he was discussing this issue in front of the other. “The why isn’t important, it happened. So, he shot John and tried to lure Randy out. You think he’s too dangerous to let go and you’ve decided to exterminate him. Is that how it is?”

Chris nodded. “We can’t keep looking over our shoulders for his next move and as you well know, when it comes down to werewolf business, the only authority that can intervene is the pack leader. But I won’t be the one taking him down, Randy’s offered.”

“Strange way to put it.” Wade didn’t seem to be being critical though. “Right, are we going to do this or what? I’m sure none of the pack are comfortable having us here.”

Understatement, thought Chris but didn’t say it out loud. “Evan’s asked that Justin stay down here, he and Cody will be in the house but I’m sure they won’t be about to make small talk.” Justin looked mildly afraid and Chris didn’t blame him. “You’ll be left alone. But that might be totally alone. Watch some TV if you like, there’s a bathroom downstairs but don’t go up there. Evan doesn’t wish to see you.” 

“I shouldn’t have come,” Justin began and Wade turned to him, brushing his thumb over Justin’s lips in a surprisingly tender gesture. 

“I’m not leaving you alone and that’s the end of it,” he said sternly, but Chris could hear real affection there. “You’ll be safe here. And I won’t be long. It won’t take long at all and it’ll be over.” He didn’t smile but there was some suggestion of one on his face. “That’ll leave just the two of us.”

Wade might not have been smiling but the look on Justin’s face was reassured and happy. Chris recognised that look, it was the same one that Evan wore when Chris told him everything would work out okay and Evan had every reason to believe him. Naked trust. It was hard to reconcile what he saw of Justin to what he knew the other had done to Evan. He could see so many parallels between their relationship and his own, right down to Wade’s inadvertent slip-up when he used Justin’s pet name. He would bet his first K award that Wade had never planned on him finding that out. 

“Edge is gonna try to get out of this somehow.” Chris kept his expression neutral as Wade and Justin turned their attention back to him. “Is there anything at all he can do or say that could make you help him out? I don’t need to know what it is, I just need to know if it’s a possibility.”

“There’s nothing,” said Justin. He shot Wade a look that Chris couldn’t quite read. “We can’t let there be. You’re not the only ones who’ll be living under a shadow unless he’s truly gone.”

Chris looked over at Wade, almost certain that the words had been more to bolster Wade’s decision than to reassure him. “Wade?”

“He could appeal to our childhoods,” said Wade reluctantly. “He took us in, he was the one who looked after us. If it wasn’t for him doing that, then I would have been returned to England and they would have taken Justin to a foster home or something. There’s an element of disloyalty to this whole thing.” Justin started to protest, Wade silenced him with a look. “But I know he didn’t do that because he wanted to keep us together. It was all a means to an end and he was pulling our strings the whole time – and we need to be free from that.” He shrugged a little. “I’m only watching after all. If Edge had come after us again, I would kill him. But I wouldn’t have sought him out to do it. I’ve no reason to stop you from doing what you have to.”

Chris nodded slowly. “Thanks. For your honesty. If you feel like you might change your mind and get involved, then return to the house.” He rose. “If you’ll excuse me a moment, I’m going to gather the rest of the pack and then, we’ll take care of Edge.”

He left the room, stopping a moment outside the door. He could hear the low murmurs that denoted some kind of discussion between the pair, voices too low to make out words. And then there was a halt to the words and he knew without having to check that they were kissing. Wade reassuring his mate that way. They had even smelled different to how they had during their first encounter; before he had been able to smell all of the pack on them and the faint scent of Evan’s skin on Justin. Now they smelled entirely of each other, the way that their kind did when they were in constant sexual contact with their mates. He found himself oddly sorry that things had gone as they had, but there was no way he was putting their hardships over his mates feelings. But maybe if everything went right and they requested permission to remain on the outskirts of the territory, far from Evan and not as a part of the pack, then he would give it. It depended.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four: Better Than I Am

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pack (and Wade) attempt to tie up the loose ends, and Evan decides he's not going to hide away anymore.

Randy had let John go when the other returned to the house, leaving him in the woods, deep in thought. Perhaps he should have followed him, but he needed to think things through. He was rather surprised that John had kept things from him, more surprised that John would give even the slightest credence to what Edge had said to him. He needed the chance to process them and he knew John needed that chance as well. With everything going on, John was lower than Randy had ever seen him before. It worried him, a lot. 

It came as no surprise to him that John had considered children. The man worked with little ones all day as a teacher and he had a clear and obvious love for his job and the charges in his care. But that it meant that much – Randy hadn’t known that. He had thought that John had reconciled himself to knowing that being men, they weren’t having a child of their own and being werewolves, adoption wasn’t an option. He had thought that working with children had been John’s way of compensating for that. He didn’t know that it had been something he wanted so fiercely. 

When it came to children, Randy hadn’t really given it much thought. He’d been a werewolf for so long now that he’d known anything like that would be awkward and when he’d fallen in love with John, it had been something that would never happen. He hadn’t craved being a father. Occasionally he’d thought it might be nice, but only in an academic way. Now though, he was wondering how the hell such a thing would work for them. There was nothing that he wouldn’t do for John and if John wanted them to have a child of their own – well, he would damn well find a way to make it work. Finding a way to adopt was the least of his concerns, as something of a celebrity if he were to adopt from abroad he’d get only rolled eyes and accused of being passé by his friends. But a child could blow their cover, be uncomfortable or even jealous of his (or her) new parents. Could they hide it? He didn’t know. He didn’t even know if this was something he wanted or if he was just desperate to show John that what he had been told by Edge was wrong. 

It was true that Randy had settled down a lot since meeting John. Before that, he had been a traveller, a player, a wanderer. He’d not been planning to ever settle down and had enjoyed himself – but he had met John and known right away that those days were over. He didn’t miss them. And while it was true he was changed, he thought it was for the better. He hadn’t been exactly a good person back then, even if he hadn’t been actively wicked or anything. More of a careless brat who cared very little about others. He didn’t feel stifled, although he could see why Edge would consider him so. To Edge, settling down with one person and having a steady job was worse than death, a slow decline into drudgery and misery. Randy was a long way from miserable. In fact he couldn’t ever consider being without John now. That would break him. No amount of transient amusement could be better than what he and John shared. 

Or had shared. Randy had been the one to start the rift between them, with Edge’s help. And now there was all this, the things that John really wanted and hadn’t told him. Randy didn’t know how easy it would be to get past all the crap that life had thrown at them lately – and then there was Edge. He was going to kill the man that night and he knew that John wasn’t pleased that it was Randy to be doing that. He sighed. There was too much going on right then. At some point soon, he and John had to get some time alone so that they could work things out. If John wanted a child that badly, well, they would work something out. What Randy really wanted to know was why John hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him that earlier. And reassure his mate that John was not killing his soul, quite the opposite. Without John, Randy wouldn’t have a reason to live at all. 

He mulled things over for a long time before heading back to the manor. There was plenty of excitement going on – judging from what Evan was shouting at Chris, they were going to have some company when he took Edge down that night. Perfect, just what he didn’t need. He hadn’t forgotten how Wade had made some allusion to having some playtime with Randy’s mate, and worse, what had happened to Evan. He was damn glad he wasn’t pack leader if that was what he’d have to decide and deal with. 

John was upstairs in their room and he let himself in quietly, seeing how John was lying on their bed, remote in hand while he watched a film. Or didn’t watch a film, Randy could see how little he was concentrating on it. Randy moved over to the bed, lay down beside John and rested his arm over the man’s chest, dropping a kiss on his shoulder. John glanced over at him with a small smile. 

“John.” Randy leaned up a little so that he could look into his mates face. “I thought you should know. Since I saw you that day, there’s been nothing else I wanted. Nothing. Only you. Edge knows shit. You’re not killing any part of me. I don’t feel really alive unless I’m with you.” He held John’s gaze, although he was a little embarrassed about what he was saying. “I need you. And as for everything else... we’ll talk about it once tonight’s done with. We can work something out.”

John’s eyes widened slightly as he realised what Randy was suggesting. “You’re willing to think about it?”

“Well, I can only see problems, but I’ve only had a couple hours to think about it.” Randy shrugged slightly. “We won’t get solutions if we don’t think it over. But yeah, I’m willing to consider it.”

John stared at him for a moment, then reached up to pull Randy into a passionate, bruising kiss. “I love you,” he murmured when they broke apart. “That you’re willing to even think about it, that means a lot to me.”

Randy smiled, leaning in to kiss John with a little less fervour but no less passion. Had John changed him? Definitely. But if it was making him less selfish and far happier, he didn’t see how that was a bad thing.

~~~~~

Soon, after locating John and Randy in their room, Chris had them, Ted and Wade all congregated in the entrance hall by the front door. Wade’s eyes were flickering back to the living-room where the doors had been closed… something he’d asked Chris for the other’s benefit when he’d seen how Justin was being all-but physically crushed underneath the weight of the unspoken threats, accusations and his own guilt.

Randy was eying him and Wade met the look dead-on; Randy was a big guy, but he was bigger, and after having dealt with Chris he was a little sure that he could hold his own against Randy should need be. However, the man made no move to approach him—Chris had probably used an alpha-command to ensure that neither he nor his Angel would be touched, and out of respect for the man and of thanks for his effort, Wade was going to show these people that he and Justin had changed. A lot considering their lives had been essentially turned upside down as much as the other pack’s. John, to his credit, gave him a slight nod of acknowledgement before focusing his attention back on Chris.

Randy and his mate were stood close together, he could see, and both Chris (and the one he knew as Ted) seemed a little antsy without their own mates there. Or maybe it was because of what they were going to do that had them all on edge. “Well, since we’re all here, let’s get going.” On that note Chris began heading through the kitchen (confusing Wade momentarily until he stopped before a door) and opening the basement door before then clicking the light on. Wade wondered if it made him a bad person that the sight of Edge rather battered up and covered in dried blood, dazed and obviously becoming claustrophobic in the essentially air-less room, didn’t inspire any sort of sympathy in him. Not even a little.

Edge’s eyes opened when he heard the door open and the casual smirk that appeared on his face seemed to slid off as soon as he realised who had joined the little entourage. “Wade?” Wade’s jaw set slightly as Edge levelled him with a hurt and incredulous look; he had to remember that this man had essentially been lying to him since he was young and had apparently been planning to use him as a commodity to be rid of when the job he had been designated for was done. Yes, this man had raised him, and Justin, but that all seemed cheapened, wasted time, as Edge’s true colours had been brought to light recently. There was sweat beading on Edge’s brow already and his hair was a mess, but the man was striving even with the odds stacked against him, to not show his fear before the others.

“Oh, so this is how it’s going down, is it?” the Canadian feigned a long-suffering sigh as he tried to roll his arms as subtly as possible. Whilst trying to conserve as much energy as possible for his escape he had been working, steadily but surely, on the knots of his bonds and to his delight he had managed to get them loose enough so that his arms were no longer killing him to the degree that they had been before. Edge’s expression turned somewhat snide as he focused on Wade, “You could have at least brought our Angel down to say goodbye, Wade—having him on his knees before me would have been a very nice Last Request.” Chris didn’t move as he felt Wade move past him; the man was another alpha, after all, and technically outside of his jurisdiction to some degree, and, well, why would he want to help Edge? The punch was hard enough to break Edge’s nose afresh, blood covering the lower half of his face in moments, Edge barely groaning.

“Don’t you dare.” Wade’s voice had a low, powerful timbre and Chris sensed his pack shifting behind him as another alpha’s presence was made known. For a moment Edge’s head bowed forwards and he didn’t say anything. And then, to the disgust of all involved, Edge suddenly spat blood in Wade’s face. The gesture was insulting enough, but the sickly sight of blood and saliva slowly sliding down Wade’s face was enough to make more than one stomach turn and gorge rise. Wade, for his credit, acted like the perfect gentleman as he pulled a handkerchief (how English) from his pocket and then wiped his face. In the same movement he pulled a lighter from his pocket and set fire to the handkerchief, letting in smoulder on the ground. It seemed that that signified the burning of old bridges and that Wade wouldn’t fall under Edge’s manipulation as easily as he once had. Chris wasn’t completely convinced though and so he kept his guard up nice and high.

Releasing a sigh, as though he was dealing with a wayward child, Wade then seemed to turn away from Edge. Almost faster than even any of them could follow Wade turned back against and this time Ted swore that he saw two of Edge’s teeth fly out of his mouth with the punch. “Ted…” Chris spoke quietly and the man moved forward with the bottle of chloroform in his hand. Sensing that Wade had misunderstood their reasons for using the concoction (it wasn’t for his benefit, rest assured) Chris said, “Even though it won’t matter by the end of tonight we’d still feel much better in ourselves knowing that he had never known where our home was.” And, was that a subtle dig, Wade heard?

“I see.” Wade nodded. Edge tried to resist but Ted was merciless as he forced the chloroform soaked cloth over Edge’s face and the man eventually had no choice but to breathe in. Only when he was sure that the man was well and truly out of it did Ted pull away, undoing the bonds that held Edge to the chair. The man crashed gracelessly to the floor, the blood from his face flecking onto the concrete floor with the motion even though the flow was already sluggish thanks to their accelerated healing. The scent of blood was sickening and brought back memories to John, so he mumbled a quick, “I’ll get the car,” and hastened out of the room. Randy’s eyes followed his mate before returning to the task at hand.

They had found an ‘old-banger’ to transport Edge in—one that they could take straight to a compound yard afterwards to have it destroyed. None of them wanted Edge’s presence in their cars, and they would have difficulty explaining the blood on the seats to any rental company. Edge’s limp body was carried up the stairs by Randy and Ted, Wade following them and Chris bringing up the rear. He made a mental note when they got back to cover the basement floor in bleach and leave it for a few days to make sure all traces of Edge were removed. The door was locked behind him, watching as Edge’s body was carried outside to the car. Wade stood back and watched as Randy and Ted placed the man in the boot (like some bad gangster film) and then turned to look towards the house. To his surprise (and slight unease) Justin’s wasn’t the only face that he saw watching the process from a window.

~~~~

Evan’s hand was tightly wrapped around Cody’s as they watched Randy and Ted walking across the court-yard towards a car that looked as though it could fall to bits at any moment. The smaller man’s eyes narrowed and he swallowed down an irrational fear as Wade came into view. Weirdly though even the way in which he was holding himself seemed different to the last time he had seen him—not that Evan believed that a man like Wade could change. Neither could Justin. Almost as though sensing he was thinking about him and his companion Wade looked up, expression not revealing anything before he looked to a window lower-down in the house—the living-room one he would bet. Then, the raven haired man did something that almost had Evan’s knees giving way in shock: he blew a kiss towards that window!

And, although he had no idea how Wade did it, but when the man blew a kiss it didn’t look ridiculous and juvenile the way it did when he had seen people do it before—it looked oddly gallant. Not to say that he found the display anything less than sickening really. “Is it just me,” Cody’s voice was low, but you’d think he’d not just witnessed such an oddly romantic thing that seemed so out-of-place in the current situation, “—or is there something different about him?” momentarily the silence between them became awkward as Wade moving underneath a light suddenly highlighted his missing ear-half, Chris coming into view a moment later and indicating with a hand. Evan felt his stomach drop slightly as Chris didn’t look back to the house, all of the men soon piling into the little car somehow.

Cody could sense that Evan was hurt by the fact that he didn’t look back and squeezed the other’s hand slightly. Sure, they were both angry at each other (Chris no doubt from having his authority, decision-making and tactness challenged even though he probably didn’t realise it and Evan for the fact that the man that had nigh-on raped him was in their home) but they’d get over it soon enough; neither of them could remain pissed at each other for too long. Actually, Cody didn’t think it was possible for any of them to be like that towards their mate—even he had forgiven Ted within hours of the man biting him, despite the fact his other anger had been more long-lasting, it hadn’t been anything absolutely threatening and… ah, he knew what he meant but he was having trouble explaining it. Drawing Evan away from the window when the car had vanished from sight Cody then attempted to adopt a cheery manner, “Do you wanna play on the X-Box or something?” he had finally met someone who was as game-geeky as himself.

“No.” Evan’s response was frighteningly abrupt and Cody sighed softly to himself as he supposed he should have anticipated that. They were both just perched on the end of Evan and Chris’ neatly made bed, Evan staring at the bedroom door with a frighteningly unreadable expression upon his face. “Ev?” Cody tried tentatively after a few minutes silence, “Do you need anything?” For a moment Evan was tempted to snipe at his friend that what he wanted was for Edge to be completely removed from the equation and for Justin and Wade to leave, never ever coming back so that their names could fade into the recesses of his memory so he’d never need to think of them again. However, he knew that attempting to alienate himself from Cody by being a bitch to him wouldn’t help matters—not when the other had been so sweet to him all in all. “Actually, there is one thing…”

“What, what?” Cody would do anything at the minute to try and make Evan feel better since, technically, he and Ted had been the ones who had been least affected by this whole business then the other four of the pack. Not to say that they hadn’t been affected by it, because they had, but they had gotten off relatively lightly compared to everyone else. “Tell me about you.” He knew nearly everything about everyone else in the pack, but all he knew about Cody (from Ted’s confession to Chris and when Chris had had him check Cody up online) was that Ted had accidentally bitten him on reflex when he had been sick and therefore disoriented and that Cody was a pretty famous journo. Cody seemed surprised, and then his mouth pinched together into a thin line –which was quite impressive when one considered how pouty Cody’s lips were- before he then sighed and nodded his head. “Well, I suppose I have to talk about my past sometime.” Evan’s slight, momentarily smile at Cody’s reaction to the question slipped into an expression of confusion.

“If you don’t want to talk about it…” he started, but Cody shook his head and smiled slightly, “Nah, it’s alright. I’m just being a bit of a drama-queen about it I guess; it was the same with Ted actually, considering that I wouldn’t tell him anything other than my birthday, my job and my favourite colour when we first started going out with one another.” Sighing heavily as he lay out on the bed (Evan momentarily wanting to be mad about the fact that Cody’s scent’d be left on the bed before realising how ridiculous that was) as Evan copied his movement, the pair of them settling. “Well, I’m an orphan,” Evan’s eyes immediately widened in that way that people always did whenever he admitted that factor, though his friend didn’t seem as rehearsed in it as other people in his past had been. “—my parents died in a car accident when I was only young, and somehow, miraculously, I survived the wreckage.”

As he spoke his eyes started to glaze over with nostalgia, “I don’t have any other relatives; no one came to claim me and the social services did everything they could to find someone who’d have me. When nobody came forward they put me in a Home.” Evan could hear the capital letter at the front of the word and felt his stomach drop; Homes had a bit of a bad reputation that was true, but he doubted all of it was just over-exaggerated by the adults who had previously been children within them, or children whom had had a telling-off for whatever reason. “It wasn’t a bad place, I suppose.” A rather rueful smile crossed Cody’s face, a touch of bitterness in his voice, “It was clean and we got fed decent portions even if the food was a bit below-par on occasion. Apparently I was a very cute child so that took me a long way with the staff.” He rolled his eyes, “Until they took notice to the fact that I wouldn’t talk to anyone. I wouldn’t say anything, I didn’t want to, I had to adjust to so much, I didn’t know how to cope, and so they packed me off to a shrink.”

Cody was trying to be open with the other but at the same time he didn’t want to seem as though he was searching for pity; he had grown up and moved past all of this, he was the man he was today because of it. “The shrink told them to give me time, to put me up for foster-care of adoption as soon as possible because it would help me recover and to move on to be in a real home environment.” With each word he spoke next his expression began hardening further and further, “People came flooding in to see me. It was always ‘aww, the poor darling!’ whenever they learnt of my past, or, ‘oh, of course we’ll take care of him, don’t worry about it!’ and then they’d take me home. They’d be more than happy about their newest acquisition… until the screaming started at night. I think I didn’t last more than a week in any one place before they took me back.” He shrugged his shoulders, uncaring, though Evan could tell that Cody had probably needed a lot to get over these emotional traumas.

“So, this carried on until the day I turned eighteen and then I was free to go out into the world. I’d always been pretty Ok at school so I had college to work to, and had a part time job that afforded me a little flat to live in. I managed to put myself through university, nearly worked myself to exhaustion every night, and then I got my first proper job as a journalist for a little magazine. My career kind of built up from there and that was how I got to where I am now.” Evan was silent as he absorbed everything that he had just been told, shocked: he never would have guessed Cody had such a turbulent past. The other man had coped so well with everything… it actually made his past seem a little less traumatic. “Getting my independence was great and I really felt as though I was doing something with my life…” a soft smile touched Cody’s lips as he admitted, “But it was meeting Ted what really gave me some definition.” He suddenly laughed sheepishly, “It wasn’t the most romantic of moments I suppose—it was actually one of my klutziest. I was working in a café at the time, and he came in…”

Evan was listening intently—he had heard Ted’s side of how he had met Cody but it was going to be interesting to hear it from him. “He came in with a book, sat at a table by someone I was serving, and I made my way over to give my other customer their drink. Someone’s child bumped into me and I spilled it all over him…” the other man looked sheepish, “It was embarrassing, I was mortified, and though he was all red and shy he was ever-so sweet about it. He actually came back when I’d finished my shift, wearing new pants though of course, and asked me if I wanted to go for a drink. The rest, as they say, is history.”

~~~

The ride in the car was rather quiet, no radio in the car even to mask the tension with cheesy country-and-western music or anything. Randy was sitting shotgun besides his mate, Chris sitting in the back with Ted beside him and Wade on the other side. Wade’s mobile was in his hand, debating texting Justin even though he knew he should keep his mind focused on what the task at hand was going to be. He’d seen how upset Justin had been but he hadn’t been about to back down on the issue, and he trusted that Evan and Cody would just stay away from Justin. If they didn’t, and something happened to him, well… Wade didn’t know what he’d do. Tapping out a little message to tell the other to sit tight and that he’d be back soon, he sent it before then placing his phone into his pocket. Ted (who had caught the message out of his peripheral vision) was slightly surprised; he hadn’t been aware of the fact that Justin and Wade were mates when they’d last seen them.

Or, if they had been mates, then how they hell had either of them been able to cope with smelling so many other wolves upon one another? Even Cody having Drew’s scent lingering upon him had driven him wild with jealousy; he couldn’t even begin to imagine how he would react were Cody to sleep around with multiple different men. He was still very angry with this man, of course he was, because of everything he had helped do to their little family, but at the same time he did feel a small amount of sympathy towards the pair of them. He had heard what Edge had said to Wade earlier and he knew he probably would have reacted the same had someone made comments about Cody like that… and it was probably the fact that they were lewd comments that alluded to things that had actually happened that caused Wade to snap like that. What was the old saying? ‘The truth hurts.’

Where John was driving none of them truly knew, they had just typed something into the Satnav (which looked totally out of place in the ridiculously banged up car) to try and find some desolate area. When Edge died (and considering that they had all come this far it seemed stupid to consider backing out now) he would first turn into his wolf form and then back into his human form. There was a macabre part of Randy that had joked about eating him to save burying him, but all of them knew that that was all talk… eating Edge’d probably poison Randy. They would bury him, very very deeply… or they’d cremate him. It was a tricky business but since their bodies were different than those of ordinary humans (and to avoid awkward questions if the body was discovered) they couldn’t risk them being found as such.

Eventually finding a desolate wasteland that seemed pretty perfect for what they needed to do, having been driving for about three hours by that point, John then pulled the car up. There seemed to be a moment where the group drew a collective breath as one and readied themselves for what was about to happen. They exited the car—taking with them shovels that they had had in the backseat to dig Edge’s grave with. Or to create the pit for their fire, whatever they decided to do.

Silently, and for about fifteen minutes, the group of them dug a very sizeable grave for Edge, the shovels then being replaced in the old banger before they then moved around to the boot. Randy was standing away from them all, flexing his neck out and rolling his long body somewhat; no doubt psyching himself up for the change that was going to happen without the aid of the moon. John was standing a little ways off from his mate, just watching him with dark eyes, Wade standing near the group obviously but then very much off-to-the-side from them. Ted and Chris were the ones who made to unlock the boot, preparing to haul Edge’s unconscious body from the trunk and to the pit. The chloroform would at least mean that Edge wouldn’t be aware of the end coming… or, that had been what they had expected.

As it was when the boot was opened something all but exploded out of it and Chris and Ted were both sent flying backwards. They crashed into John and Randy, who had both been nearer than before, obviously waiting, and Wade was the one who saw the hulking wolf flying out of the boot and across the desolate wasteland. There was nowhere he could hide right there, but there were open fields not too far away and if they let him reach them… without thinking Wade allowed himself to transform; a low snarl sounding in the air even as clothing ripped and shredded beneath his changing form. As he gave chase to Edge he was aware of someone right next to him. Randy.

~~

Wade ran after Edge as fast as his lupine form would take him, grimly aware that Edge had always been faster than he had. He had run with the pack enough times to know that, right back to being a kid when he, Justin and Edge would go tearing through some wood or over some field, feeling a joyous exhilaration of freedom, that everything would turn out okay. That feeling hadn’t been wholly accurate but even in their current position, there was still that feeling of being unleashed, no longer holding back the way he sometimes felt in human form. 

Randy was faster and he was pissed, Wade could see the other from his peripheral vision tearing over the landscape and redoubled his own efforts to keep from falling behind. Randy might have been selected for this particular task, but given the crap Edge had pulled at the hotel and at the manor, Wade wanted to be the one to bring Edge down. If he got away – well, Wade was certain that he and Justin could add their names to Edge’s hit list. And because of how Edge thought and acted, it would not be Wade bearing the brunt of any payback; Edge would make him suffer by setting his sights on Justin. 

Wade was aware that there were the others chasing after them; John a couple of metres behind and losing distance all the time (understandable though, if what Chris had told him of the man’s injuries was true and Wade had no reason to believe it wasn’t), Chris and Ted catching him up but way too far behind to hope to stop Edge before he got to the open fields. That, as far as Wade was concerned, was down to him...

And then Randy put on another burst of speed, overtaking Wade and leaping for Edge. Edge might have been running injured but he was also running for his life, lending additional speed to his paws and Randy misjudged how fast Edge was going. Probably he’d been planning to land on his back and take him down with a bite to the back of the neck. Instead he glanced over Edge’s hindquarters, throwing the older wolf off his stride but not taking him down, skidding on Edge’s other side and trying to regain his momentum. Edge stumbled momentarily, regaining his balance – but that moment had been all Wade needed to close the distance and make a leap of his own, crashing heavily into Edge and knocking them both to the ground. They rolled in a flurry of teeth and claws, Edge managing to twist his body and close his teeth around a good chunk of Wade’s flesh. His heavy pelt was not enough to prevent Edge biting deep into him, blood flowed and Wade made a high whining sound, refusing to back off. It wasn’t the first time that Edge had used such a tactic against Wade, when he was allegedly trying to toughen Wade up or discipline him, but when Wade angled his own head and darted it forward to sink his own teeth into Edge’s shoulder, dangerously close to his neck – that was the first time he had retaliated. Edge snarled and Wade found himself being forced onto his back, the one position that Edge had always said was their most vulnerable, to be avoided at all costs. That was when their throats were exposed, or their stomachs; a vicious bite could hook the skin and a sharp yank of the head could disembowel. 

With a burst of strength Wade rolled them both so that he was able to get to his feet again, Edge doing the same and snapping at Wade. Wade dodged the bite and got one of his own in, jaws closing around Edge’s leg. Edge howled, swiping a paw across Wade’s eyes and gouging with his claws. The pain and the instinct to protect his eyes made Wade release his hold and dance back a couple of steps, shaking his head as if to reassure himself that there was no damage to his vision. Edge whipped his own head around, the confrontation with Wade giving Chris’ pack the time to catch up to him. All changed, the four wolves sat in a rough circle around him, watching the confrontation – although Randy was poised as if ready to spring and attack, teeth bared in a snarl of rage. Edge knew that the moment Wade was down, Randy would be upon him instead. There didn’t look to be an escape. 

There had to be one. Somehow. 

With a determination born of desperate panic, Edge lunged at Wade again before the other had chance to recover himself. His reasoning was simple enough; he would flee if he could, he would create the distraction of tearing Wade’s throat out if that was what it took – Wade had been intended as his sacrifice all along after all and the man had already gone past his intended life span, turned his back on Edge – he was worse than useless, he was an active threat. But a threat that Edge knew and would be better able to handle. If he could escape to the fields while the pack were still in shock over Wade’s death then that was good – and if they acted the moment he killed Wade, then he was going to make sure he took as many of them with him as he could. If he managed to kill Chris and John after Wade, then he could almost be sanguine about his own death. 

Crashing into Wade, he managed to take the larger wolf down and immediately went for the neck, intending to attack the carotid. The angle was bad though and instead he tore a chunk form Wade’s shoulder. He could sense his former protégés alarm; they had done this before but Edge had always held back, not wanting Wade too badly harmed, merely chastised. Wade might have been the leader, but that was only because of Edge’s say-so and maybe this would be the lesson the Englishman needed in humility before he went to meet his maker. 

~Maybe you’ll be seeing your old man sooner than you thought~ the thought Edge sent to Wade was tinged with triumph. ~You can ask him about how much of the truth I told you yourself~ 

Wade growled loudly, managing to throw Edge off through sheer power, no easy task even for a werewolf. Edge landed on his side and Wade was on him in a second, teeth closing at Edge’s throat a second too late and pulling out only a clump of fur instead. ~None of it, you lied to us~

~I never lied, I was the only person who was honest with you, the one who looked after both of you~ Edge scrambled, trying to get away from Wade and to all fours again. ~Without me, your Angel would be history, gone, you’d never have seen him again~

Wade hesitated, the entire pack feeling it. Randy tensed himself for a second ready to spring, but took a moment too long; Edge had also felt the pause and hurled himself straight at Wade, teeth bared, going for the throat. Had Wade gone with instinct and stood his ground, Edge’s jaws would have closed around Wade’s throat in a second, too fast for any of the pack to alter the sudden, violent death – but Wade let Edge bowl him over, the two of them falling into a bloodied, snapping heap until Wade forced Edge to his back. He dropped his face close to the others, snarling.

~Wade~ Edge struggled weakly, but Wade’s paws were pressed firmly onto his chest and the adrenaline from trying to survive was wearing off, leaving him feeling every one of his injuries. He had the sudden sense of déjà vu; he had been in this position before. That time, it had been Chris standing over him, ready to tear him apart. But the colour in fur wasn’t the only difference between that time and this. Chris’ eyes had been more understanding – more merciful. There was no hint of that in Wade.

~Don’t do this Wade~ he begged, not caring how it sounded, how it looked. Pride was useless without a life to house it and he knew he could pick up the pieces and come back stronger than ever, take his vengeance. He had done it before and been so damn close to pulling it all off. Now, like then, he could feel Randy’s eyes upon him among the others and wondered if his former lover was going to be receptive to his pleas. It had seemed to work the last time, even if Randy had refused to go with him. ~You can’t do this, I – I taught you how to be a real werewolf, I kept you two together, I made you pack leader. Justin, your Angel, I took care of him. I made you everything you are. I was your father when your father had gone. You don’t dare do this to me~

~Wade~ even in their minds, Randy’s voice was a snarl. ~If you can’t do this, stand aside and let me take care of it~

Wade’s eyes darted to him for a fraction of a second, then back to Edge. ~No need. You have no idea what he did to my Angel in the name of protecting him. And he’s not lying. I am everything he made me~

Wade’s thoughts cut off abruptly as he dropped his head in an almost casual gesture, locking his teeth deep into the flesh of Edge’s throat and yanking his head from side to side. The skin tore, blood pumping from the wound in almost a geyser. It flooded Wade’s eyes, stinging the wound already there, but he could still see through the red film as Edge’s own eyes grew wide and shocked, an all-too-human expression of horror and pain in them. They were fixed on Wade the whole time, even when Wade tore the skin away, leaving Edge’s throat a gaping, bloody hole. 

He let the chunk of meat fall from his jaws, beside Edge’s twitching body – but the initial spray of blood was dying into a river instead as Edge’s heart ceased to pump it out. He could pinpoint the exact moment that Edge’s eyes glazed over, all the tension leaving the muscles as the wolf’s body slumped to one side, not moving. Wade could feel the pack around him frozen into place, watching the tableau as he sat on his haunches beside Edge, hanging his head and witnessing the body slowly change from its wolf form to its human one. Edge’s eyes never lost their milky stare, his features seemingly frozen into a look of horrified surprise. 

Throwing his head back, Wade didn’t bother with thought. Instead he gave over to the wolf and gave a quiet, piteous howl of loss.

~:~ 

Cody and Evan chatted for a while, the talk relatively serious partly because of the situation their mates were in, finding out about each other. Evan admitted that he’d like to write a book but he wasn’t having a huge amount of luck finding anything that he thought was marketable, much as he enjoyed the writing part itself. He was fortunate that Chris not only was able to keep them comfortable, but found it preferable to sending Evan out to work a more stable job. Cody told Evan that one day, he’d like to find the kind of news story that would surpass any of the lightweight, politically motivated nonsense that seemed the norm these days, something special, something that would make his name. But they both knew that their hopes for the future were nothing without their mates and talk eventually dried up as time continued to go by with no word from the rest of the pack. 

Evan tugged at a loose thread on the knee of his jeans, threatening to create a hole. He wondered if Randy had any cigarettes lying around – not that he smoked or even liked the thought, but he wanted something to do with his hands. “How long do you think it should take?”

“I don’t know,” confessed Cody, listening to the silence of the manor. He supposed it would have been a good idea to put on the radio or the TV, but neither of them wanted their hearing impaired by such things. Not when Justin was downstairs. Cody heard him occasionally only through virtue of his sharp hearing and that he was listening for sounds; something that might have been footsteps, the television being clicked on briefly and quietly for a few minutes before going off again. He hadn’t once moved from the living room because if either of them had heard the door go, they would have both been on high alert. 

“All they had to do is drive him out somewhere remote, do what they have to and bury the evidence,” said Evan, sounding upset by even the thought. “Two hours, I would think. It’s been that. Why aren’t they back yet?”

“Just because there’s four, uh five, of them doesn’t mean it didn’t take a while,” replied Cody. “They might have taken him further away so that he’s not near here in case he gets found. It doesn’t have to mean anything.” Although his own mind was filled with visions of would could have gone wrong. Maybe Wade had been playing them all along and had a bunch of silver bullets of his own, was on his way back to pick up Justin and exact a little revenge. Maybe they’d lost Edge somewhere. Maybe they’d been in an accident, got found by the cops with an unconscious and bleeding man in the boot. Maybe anything. He wished he could call Ted and find out what was going on, but he didn’t want to interrupt in the middle of something crucial. This was proving to be the longest night of his whole life.

“I know,” said Evan listlessly. “I just wish they’d get home, that’s all.” He thought of Chris, the image of harm coming to him. Chris hadn’t even looked back at the house before he left, had gone while they were still angry at each other. Evan thought he had good reason to be mad, but that didn’t change that he was terrified for Chris. His love and fear for his mate outweighed his anger toward him and his revulsion for Justin being in the manor. He just wanted Chris to walk back through the door, alive and unharmed, so that they could start over. He could get over Chris’ lack of tact, Chris would be able to recover his ego after Evan had so publicly freaked out his decision. Things could be normal, he would see to it, given the chance. He just needed Chris to come home. But what if Wade was part of some plan, some scheme? That would explain why he had called to warn them about Edge, to lull them into a false sense of security. Maybe Edge had allowed himself to be caught so that he could carry out his plan, him and Wade luring them somewhere. Maybe it had all been lies and the rest of Wade’s pack would be waiting for their own, leaving Justin behind as some kind of ‘proof’ of good faith. And then once Chris’ pack were defeated, Wade’s would return to find just the two of them there and their escapes cut off by Justin...

He straightened up, getting off the bed and running both hands through his hair. “Screw it. I’m going downstairs to face him.”

“Evan!” Cody practically bounced off the bed, reaching out to take his shoulders. “Why? I mean – why? There’s no reason for it, you don’t have to see him. We can just wait here until the others come back and we can air out the house so well you won’t even know he’s been here—“

“I’m not gonna be afraid of going where I like in my own fucking house!” snapped Evan, which startled Cody further. Evan had been up and down since his attack, veering between tearful and falsely happy, obsessive or reclusive or clingy. But that day had been the first time he’d seemed to get genuinely angry, first at Chris and now at Cody. “If they’re planning something then I need to know now so that we can do something about it, not cower away up here! The hell with him and anything he’s thinking of doing – I’m gonna go in there and show him he’s gotta work a helluva lot harder to break me down. And God help him if I find he’s part of some plan.”

Evan all but threw the heavy bedroom door open, striding out of the room with his head high. Cody followed in his wake, thinking that if Justin tried anything with Evan, he might just be picking on the wrong person. Evan seemed to have gotten tired of being afraid and ashamed and finally gotten mad. But facing Justin, even when he was infuriated, had to take some balls. Cody wanted to applaud his bravery, unconvinced he’d be able to imitate it himself. 

The living room door was closed against them and Evan pushed it open, without bothering to be quiet but not using the same force he’d used on the bedroom door. The room was lit with the floor lamps they had around rather than the overheads and for a moment it was hard to make out Justin – mostly because he wasn’t sitting where they had expected to find him. Instead he was at the window, his hand pressed to the glass. When Evan and Cody entered the room he turned his head slowly, his eyes widening fractionally and his entire body tensing. Evan squared his shoulders, drawing himself to his full height, taking a deep breath as he stared at the other man. 

Justin smelled different, that was the first thing he noticed. There was only one scent on him now, Wade’s, so intermingled with his own that it was a far more natural part of him than having four other scents on his body. The expression was one that Justin had never used in Evan’s presence either. There was fear there, acceptance and resignation. Dressed in oversized, almost sloppy clothes, he seemed a far cry from the laughing, vicious monster that Evan had built him up to be in his mind. But Justin had admitted that he was a liar. 

“They promised you wouldn’t be here,” said Justin in a quiet, almost hurt voice. His eyes were fixed in Evan’s direction, but never looked properly into his face, sending darting, quick glances at the other man instead. 

“This is my house, my mate’s house,” replied Evan, voice stronger than Cody had heard it in a long time – but Evan’s hands were shaking a little and Cody could smell his subtle fear almost buried beneath his anger. “I’ll go where I like and do what I like.”

“Oh.” Justin turned from the window, shoulders slumped – but Evan had seen that before, the way he went from defeated to attacking in seconds. He wasn’t going to let his guard down this time. Seeing his attacker there, in his home, was daunting. It made him feel nauseous. But something about Justin’s behaviour gave him pause. The man truly didn’t seem to be surprised to see him there, or to care much that he was. Not uncaring in that he didn’t think Evan could do anything to him, but in that it really didn’t seem to matter what he did. 

Justin glanced from one to the other of the men warily, although most of his attention seemed to be on Evan. There was an expression on his face that it was hard to read. “Uh, do you want me to wait outside? I can wait outside. But if, uh...” He dropped his head; Cody could tell that had he been in wolf form he would have had his ears lain flat against his skull, stomach pressed almost to the ground. “If you’re gonna hurt me or anything, just make sure you’re done and out of the way before Wade comes back. I can talk him down, but if he sees you I probably wouldn’t have the chance.”

Evan looked taken slightly aback. He had expected defiance, perhaps a forced apology or being told to fuck off. “I didn’t come down here to beat up on you. Or anything else! I’m not as warped as you are – we’re not about some sick payback the way you seem to be.” The talk of payback reminded him why he was there and he squared himself up again. “Why did you and Wade come here? Are you part of some plan to have Edge lure our pack away from the house?”

Justin’s head snapped up sharply and this time he really did manage to look Evan in the eyes. “No! We’ve only seen Edge once since Wade... got hurt. It’s not one of our better moments, but then again, what is?” He shoved both hands into his pockets. “Edge and Punk were AWOL, Wade told the rest of the pack we could leave. It was days later that Edge turned up again. He wanted us to get the pack back together and take some revenge. Said he had a plan. But Wade—“Justin’s expression grew proud and perhaps slightly awed. “Wade said no. He told Edge we were through with all that, we were done with the old bullshit and we just wanted some peace. Edge went nuts. He said Wade had gotten weak and he went after me and Wade – stopped him.” He didn’t see the point of telling these two just what a hero that made him to Justin, they could never understand. “And then he left. We didn’t see or hear from him until today.”

Justin let out a small laugh under his breath, although there was no humour in it. “Chris could have killed Wade right there. He didn’t. You stopped him. And for that, Wade and I owe both of you. Not that I’m happy to admit that, but it’s the truth. And we would never have gotten involved in something against your pack because of that. When Wade gave his word that neither of us would do anything to go against what your pack are doing tonight, he meant it. Wade just wants to be there, to see it. To make sure he really is gone.”

Cody stared at him. “No tricks?”

“No tricks,” agreed Justin. “No traps.” His eyes went back to the window, clearly anxious for news of Wade.

Evan’s eyes narrowed. “How can I believe you? You tricked me before remember? I thought you wanted help, I trusted you and I ended up a prisoner of your pack, tied to the bed with, with – and you were the worst of all of them!”

Cody took a sharp breath, realising that Evan had changed what he was going to say at the last second probably for his own sake rather than Justin’s. Justin looked like he’d been struck rather than shouted at, a hand covering his face as he reeled away from Evan. After a moment Justin’s eyes opened, but Cody didn’t like the expression at all. He’d seen the same look on Evan’s face in the days after the attack, that same self-disgust and self-loathing. Only Evan had never had true reason to feel that, whereas Justin truly did.

“It wasn’t supposed to be some horrible ordeal!” Justin ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “It was – just pack stuff. You were gonna be one of the pack, that was how it was and that’s how the whole pack played. No mates. I wasn’t lying when I said I liked you, I thought your pack and our pack would just merge together like some fucking happy family. And you’d all be happier without those old mates-for-life stereotypes, but I thought you might be depressed for a while because of Chris, until you got used to it. So I thought you’d be better with me, because some of the others could be kinda heartless. Edge was dead-set on proving a point to Randy anyway and Punk’s just cold and crazy, he likes to be really rough and he would have made everything worse and Matt and Jeff don’t really see harm to anyone else except each other...” 

He caught himself, realising he was starting to ramble. “I just – I didn’t think you’d hate it so much,” he whispered. “I didn’t know it’d do so much harm.” Even to his own ears it sounded weak, like a poor excuse for his own depravity. But really, there was nothing else that he could say. Words were never going to take away his actions. 

Evan tilted his head slightly. “Why not Wade?” he asked. 

Justin looked startled, but there was something else there, a territorialism. “He was into John,” he said abruptly. 

“John wasn’t there. I was.” Evan could hear the sharp tone to his voice, it was either that or show his wildly fluctuating emotions at the conversation and honestly, he wasn’t sure which would come to the fore if he just let himself go.

Justin looked at the floor. “It was a favour to me. I told Wade I wanted to play first and he said okay. And I wasn’t lying when I said you’d be better off with me, but – yeah, that wasn’t all.” He sighed, resignedly, wishing he’d just been put outside. That would be better than this. Anything would – but he felt he owed Evan a debt he could never repay and this torture of reliving his own wickedness was probably not even a fraction of that debt paid off. “There was you, living in Chris’ house all the time, you were only his. You were, I don’t know, new and untouched. Then there was me. I wasn’t anything like that, I’d willingly been with every member of the pack and wore all their marks, left my own – I wasn’t anything new. Certainly nothing untouched.” His voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. “I just didn’t want him to like you better than he liked me.”


	26. Chapter Twenty-Five:  Bad Feelings Fester

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The deed may have been done but the tension continues to boil over

The other assembled wolves were silent as Wade continued to howl, letting him release the grief that it would have been ridiculous to assume that he wouldn’t feel towards the man who had all but raised him even if he had done horrible things to him since. Chris’ own head bowed momentarily; Edge had been his friend once after all. When Wade was quiet Chris and Randy changed back, Ted and John having already done the same. Wade’s body was impressive in terms of build, the lack of clothing all of them barely batted an eyelash too as Ted waited for Wade to move away from Edge’s body before then handing him articles of clothing that had survived the change enough to still render them wearable for the trip back. One thing that they did take notice of though was the fact that Wade was covered in blood and wounds like that needed to be cleaned before attempting to let them heal… and that it would take a night’s worth to heal at least. Already Chris knew he wouldn’t be able to let the man go that night, just because he wasn’t a bastard enough to risk it, and he resigned himself to the fact that Evan was probably going to start shouting at him again. Wade pulled the clothing on with only minimal winces, obviously not wanting to show weakness before the other men, and then spoke quietly, “Do you mind if I return to the car?” he was hurting and feeling somewhat lightheaded with emotion and pain.

“Of course.” Chris said quietly, voice calm, though admittedly inside he was feeling anything but. Wade nodded his head in thanks of the permission and then began heading towards the old vehicle. Randy was currently standing over Edge’s bloody, lifeless body, eyes and expression blank. John was beside him, looking strangely regretful considering everyone there could assume that he hated the man with every fibre of his being for all he had done to him and with regards to his mate. Ted was probably the one least connected with the situation in terms of anything other than pack politics and was valiantly attempting not to look at the body. “Come on then.” Chris said softly, moving to pick up one of Edge’s legs. Ted moved to his side to help him, John and Randy taking an arm each—the man had changed back moments before, almost melting back into existence it seemed, and that was how they knew that they were safely able to act now. Sure, one of them could have picked the man up without any issue whatsoever, but considering that there was so much blood and Edge’s head was mere inches from falling off, the help of all of them would be necessary. Soon the body was in the ditch and Chris watched as Randy used his lighter to set fire to a nearby dry stick, tossing it into the pit after Ted had doused some gasoline about to aid the process. Randy changed back once more to dig up and re-set the area wherein Edge had been slain, hiding the blood and slight gore from view.

Soon a strong fire was burning and Ted returned to the car alongside John as Randy and Chris remained behind. After what felt like eons the body was no longer indistinguishable from ash—Randy once again using his wolf form to fill in the pit with that which they had dug out earlier. When they were finished the only indication something had happened there was the two patches of slightly different coloured, raised land that remained behind from their efforts. The mood in the car was muted; there was elation but at the same time there was slight mourning, because even Edge wasn’t undeserving of a moment to commemorate his passing even though there wasn’t a single person there who would honestly say that they could miss him. Ted had the car sputtering to life before too long to start the journey home.

Wade’s wounds were still bleeding, sluggishly slow but even then he was still bleeding, and Chris murmured softly, “We have a small annexe on the house,” a sort of impromptu guest-house that was actually never used unless one of them was feeling ill or had fallen out with their mate and wanted to be out of the main house, “-please feel free to use it tonight.” The other three in the car shifted slightly, and even though they still had many reservations towards Wade and his mate that would probably never vanish they couldn’t help but feel slightly less hostile in the face of what they had witnessed Wade do. “I really don’t think that would be a good idea, do you?” Wade quirked a wan smile which looked rather unnerving given that there was blood spatter on his face and he was covered in blood, “But thank you.”

“Yeh can’t really be goin’ anywhere like that.” John found himself murmuring, sensing Randy’s surprise from where the other was sitting shot-gun once more, “At least get cleaned up first.” Justin was no doubt going to be hysterical enough as it was; Wade was only supposed to have been there to watch, and no doubt the young man would completely misinterpret the essentially untouched states of the other men and the state that Wade was in. Giving a slow nod Wade murmured, “I think I will do that, thank you.” Silence then descended upon them again and Ted focused on getting them back home. The scent of blood was sickly and thick and none of them tried to breathe in too much —especially when one considered that there were two lots of blood present —since the scent could do funny things to their kind. When the car sputtered and wheezed upon reaching their destination he killed the engine. A soft sigh left Wade, apparently preparing himself for something.

Not moments later the front door was thrown open and a high whimpering sound of fear sounded, “Wade!” Justin came sprinting down the steps, his dark profile seemingly horrifyingly pale, almost falling over himself to reach his mate. He didn’t so much as flinch as he was defacto surrounded by the other pack, his attention totally focused upon the man he loved. And, yes, he was getting used to making that admittance both to himself and aloud. Wade’s smile was a little thin, pained, but genuine, a hand coming up to touch Justin’s face as the man stopped in front of him, obviously unsure where he could or couldn’t touch the other since the tattered clothing and blood stains made it hard to distinguish. “Angel, I’m alright—“he started but then Justin rounded on Chris and the others, eyes blazing and looking close to tears at the same time. “What happened to him?!” Chris was once again struck by how frighteningly similar in mannerisms and actions Justin and Evan were. “Justin, please, wait a minute…” he tried to implore. “You said he’d be alright!” he looked at Wade, angrily, “You promised they wouldn’t hurt you!” gently, but firmly, Wade then reached and placed a hand over Justin’s mouth, “Hush.” He commanded softly.

Justin’s eyes expressed a betrayal when he was silenced but Wade knew he could make it better when he explained. Pretending not to see Cody and Evan in the doorway (and was he mistaken or had they come out of the living-room like his Angel had done even though they had been the ones to insist he would be out of the way?) and the way the rest of the pack was watching their interaction Wade then reached down to take Justin’s hand as he stopped covering the man’s mouth, turning his attention to Chris momentarily. “We won’t be in your hair long. Do you have a first-aid kit that I might borrow, please? And possibly some old clothes?” if he and Justin happened to be pulled over on their way home the effect of him cleaning up would be rather pointless if he was found partially naked and with clothing covered in blood—and it wasn’t as though he had Halloween as an excuse, to say they’d been to a party and he had been a zombie or something along those lines.

“Yes, that’ll be no problem.” Chris said, thinking that something of Randy’s or John’s would fit the man… or maybe Ted would be the safest person to ask since Randy was obviously unimpressed about being with the other man in any way, shape or form. “I shall bring them through to you. To get to the annexe just go through the hallway, through the kitchen, and through the third door to the left.” Nodding, and gently pulling Justin’s hand, Wade made the painful journey across the courtyard and towards the area they’d been told to use.

When Ted murmured softly that he was going to get rid of the car Chris nodded before telling him to be quick and to come back safely. Ted sent his mate a reassuring smile and mouthed that he’d be back soon before he got into the car and then headed out of the manor grounds again. Cody went indoors when he was sure everyone was alright, heading to his and Ted’s bedroom to wait for the other’s return. John and Randy both murmured soft words to Chris before heading to go indoors for their own bedroom, Chris being left the last one outside and Evan on the doorstep. Beginning to walk in past his mate Chris murmured, “Not now, Evan,” without stopping, obviously expecting some sort of rage at the fact that both men were in the house, and Evan felt his stomach drop.

~:~

“Thank you.” Justin murmured softly as he accepted the clothing and first-aid kit that Chris handed him through the door. Wade was sitting on the bed, once again naked, and he looked at the clean duvet he was on before then looking to Chris. “I’ll pay you back for the clothes and the bedcovers…” Chris waved a hand immediately, shaking his head before quirking a small smile, “Please, don’t worry about it. And remember: the offer of a bed for the night is still open if you need it,” he looked to Justin, “—you’ve both had a bit of a rough night.” On that note he inclined his head politely and then backed out of the room to leave the two of them alone. When they were safely alone Justin began moving towards the bed, setting the clothing, bandages and kit down, eyes tracing over Wade’s injuries.

“Who did all of this to you?” Scratches, bruises, somewhat more severe (though less-so than when Chris had had at him) bites… Wade knew the moment he answered that Justin had been expecting someone completely different. “Edge.” Justin’s hands jerked slightly from where they had been pouring an antiseptic liquid onto a sterile cloth to clean Wade’s wounds with. “Edge?” Wade nodded; eyes downcast and Justin knew that the man wouldn’t talk to him unless he carried on as usual, acting as though nothing was bothering him about the situation. “I killed him.” The words were quiet, but slightly disconcerted, as though Wade couldn’t believe it. They had never really had much respect for humans but they had never killed them before, not like Punk, the sick fucker, and they had certainly never killed other wolves before unless necessary… and although this had been a necessary killing it was different from the others in that he had been the one fighting the man who was usually directing him during his fights.

“He fled from us,” Wade knew he owed Justin an explanation even if he was going to significantly water-it down to the bare minimum of facts, “-and so we gave chase, all of us, but I managed to catch him when Randy took him down.” He sighed, “We fought. At first I thought he had me—“his eyes flickered to Justin, only able to see a bit of the man’s knee and thigh considering he was knelt behind him on the bed to tend to his wound, “—and he told me I could ask dad the truth about everything,” Justin made a small sound that was a cross between a whine and a growl and Wade rubbed soothingly on the man’s leg with the arm that was currently not being tended, “—and then I managed to get him back. I had him underneath me, he begged me not to do it, and… I ripped his throat out.” Justin understood now why Wade had had far too much blood on him to point towards injuries like the ones he had suffered himself. “They put him in a ditch and cremated him, burying the evidence. They got rid of everything.” And they’d done a shockingly professional job of it being that it was spontaneous.

“Why didn’t Orton do it?” after what felt like eons Justin spoke as he began to continue tending Wade’s wounds, “I mean, I thought that was the whole point…” Wade sighed softly, “Circumstances don’t always go the way your plans do, Angel.” Justin grudgingly conceded this and when he finished tending the last wound he said, “Go and shower,” Chris had told them the en-suite bathroom had all the necessary amenities within it, “-and then you can get changed. I’ll drive us home.” He too thought that it had been kind of Chris to offer them to stay there that night but it was also one of those things where you knew you couldn’t accept because things were awkward enough as it was. Wade obediently got up (he knew Justin was very upset and angry so he wanted to do something to calm the other and if indulging him was what it took then he’d do it) and moved to the bathroom, but then paused when he suddenly tacked-on to a thought that had been niggling the back of his mind since he had first arrived back. “Angel... how long was those two down here with you?” Justin quirked the saddest, most unconvincing smile Wade had ever witnessed in his entire life and murmured, “Just go and shower, Wade,” without further elaboration.

Usually such insubordination would never have been allowed but Wade had always had a soft spot for Justin and now more than ever the moment called for him to let it slide. A long, hot, shower later he was beginning to feel more human on the outside, and he no longer smelled of blood and muck, and Wade doused himself liberally with the deodorant that was in there before heading out into the bedroom. Justin was there with a bandage waiting in his hands to wrap up Wade’s shoulder with to ensure that it didn’t accidentally get infected before he had a chance to heal over. The t-shirt and jeans that he had been loaned were rather small and tight but they would do, Wade sitting down to pull on the fresh socks with his partially ruined shoes, watching as Justin placed the ruined tatters into the bin, trying the bag and removing it to dispose of more thoroughly in the bin he had seen outside the house, the smaller man then finishing packing away the first-aid kit before Wade attempted to question the other once again. “How long were they down there with you?”

Justin sighed heavily, looking to Wade as the other stood. He was pale, understandably, but looking less so than before and already most of the minor cuts and bruises had vanished from sight on the other. “About an hour after you’d left, maybe,” Justin said quietly, “Evan came down. Well, he barged down was more like it, his little friend behind him and obviously trying to stop him…” Justin gave a hollow laugh, “He thought we had some elaborate scheme going on and…” he explained a little about the conversation that had passed between them, faltering when he got to the part where Evan had asked about Wade. Wade’s brow furrowed slightly as he took in his mate (well, unofficial mate) and prompted, “Angel, what did you say?” Justin’s head bowed and tears began to fill his eyes, spurred from the emotion of seeing Wade all beat-up, the confusing emotions concerning Edge being killed, and then finally everything that had transpired between himself and Evan earlier on in the evening. “I said it was because I was scared you’d find him more appealing than me. He’s purer, kinder, a better person…”

Wade took Justin’s chin in his hand and tilted the man’s head up, gently kissing away a tear that had slid down Justin’s cheek. “No one has ever felt as right in my arms as you have, and no one could ever replace you in my life, Angel. It’s not possible.” The other man then stood, using the one good arm he had since his other was currently hidden underneath the t-shirt with the bandages and suchlike. “C’mon, let’s get going… maybe we can find a late night takeaway on the way back.” Unbelievable as it might have seemed he was actually really hungry despite what he had witnessed earlier on in the night. “Ok Wade.” Justin said, feeling slightly less numb and unclean in himself once more with Wade’s presence and reassurance. “I’m so glad you’re safe.” Justin confessed softly and Wade held the man close as they headed out of the room, leaving the first aid kit and some money on the table, the bin-bag with the ruined clothing being deposited in the outside bin on their way to the car.

~~~~~~

From his vantage point from his and Evan’s bedroom Chris watched as Wade and Justin made their way across the courtyard; Justin was semi-supporting Wade, though it was apparent that this was just a consequence of both men being wrapped up in one another like they were. Vaguely he registered the door behind him opening but he knew who it would be without even needing to turn around or scent the air: his mate had followed him up. There was a part of Chris that was angry over the fact that he was apparently going to be getting into bother with his mate over what he had previously done, even though Evan had good reason, and that part of him was more irritated than it had been previous because right then he would rather have just gone to bed with his mate and cuddled up with the other. A bit of moral support would have been more than welcomed right then—but he doubted he was going to get it.

“Leave it, Evan.” He murmured quietly when the car containing the two young men had finally pulled out of view, facing his strangely quiet mate, “I’m not in the mood right now. Edge is dead, and they’re gone. We can fumigate the house or whatever you want to do tomorrow, but right now I just want to go to bed and sleep for the next month.” Even as he spoke Chris began pulling off the old t-shirt and jeans he had worn, throwing them into the hamper on reflex without even really checking as to whether they were dirty or not. “Chris—“Evan’s eyes widened in disbelief as his mate merely walked past him into the bathroom without stopping to wait once he had heard him beginning to speak. Suddenly, Evan felt his own temper flaring; how dare Chris be such a prick towards him for this? How dare he! He had every right to be angry!

But, even as he felt anger welling within him hurt followed right alongside it; Chris was shutting him out, cutting him off, and Chris never did that. It was usually he who pushed the other away when he was having one of his moments—not the other way around. He didn’t like it. It frightened him. Squaring his shoulders and determining that they were going to have everything out then and there (he knew Chris would probably want to tell him off in turn for disobeying his own demand by going downstairs to interact with Justin) instead of leaving it to fester.

Moving to the bathroom Evan pushed the door open. “Chris—“he fell silent as he caught sight of his mate standing underneath the shower-spray; Chris’ essentially healed body was gently flexing and undulating beneath the water, his mate no doubt trying to work out any tension that he was carrying, trying to spread the soothing effects of the almost blisteringly hot water around the length of his body. Despite how currently pissed off he was with Chris. Evan couldn’t help but stop to appreciate the pure masculine beauty that was ex-rocker Chris Jericho. It was no shock to Evan at all why his lover had legions and legions of fans who paid homage to him even now when he had been retired for a good amount of time now: he was incredibly talented and gorgeous.

Shaking himself Evan moved closer to the shower and opened the curtain, Chris turning his head only enough to look at him. The slightly aloof and bored expression that greeted him was one that immediately set Evan on high alert to the fact that there was something not quite right with his mate. “I’ve barely been in two minutes, Evan, if you want a wash can’t you use the bath?” The question had Evan reeling back as though he had been physically struck; he couldn’t remember a time, ever, since he and Chris had first become a couple, wherein the other had told him that he couldn’t bathe with him. Not that that was what he was intending to do but the snub cut him to the quick even so. Feeling tears in his eyes Evan drew a shaking breath, “That’s not what I wanted.”

“Oh?” Chris’ brow arched and he cocked his head to the side, picking up the soap in the same instant and beginning to wash himself, “What is it that you do want then?” he asked as he turned his back on Evan. It was the final showing of subtle disrespect that had Evan snapping, “I want you to fucking well look at me!” Evan screamed; hot tears beginning to cascade down his cheeks. Chris washed himself in a surprisingly short amount of time, seemingly unconcerned as Evan began shouting and ranting behind him about how he was being a wanker and how he hadn’t been thinking about anyone but himself with regards to the Edge situation and how it had been handled—he had just been thinking of convenience.

Turning off the water when he was finished Chris then dried himself briskly with a towel and then wrapped it around his waist as he left the bathroom, Evan hot on his heels. “—it’s like you don’t even care about how I feel anymore--!” Rounding on his mate so suddenly that Evan fell back onto the bed, eyes wide as he looked up at Chris. “Don’t you dare ever say that I don’t care about you.” He growled and the hurt that appeared in the previously blank eyes alerted him to the fact that his own selfishness had caused him to overstep one mark he knew would never be overstepped: Chris’ care and etiquette towards him. “I’m going to sleep downstairs.” Chris muttered as he pulled on some pyjamas. However, as he reached the door to leave the room he suddenly found himself being pushed back into the door, Evan’s lips desperate and needing upon his own as his mate’s slight weight filled his arms, clinging to him, refusing to let go.

“I’m sorry Chris—“Evan pulled away from Chris long enough to murmur the words before kissing him again, briefly this time. Chris’ lack of response was starting to frighten him a little; the man’s arms were around his waist but he seemed reluctant to return the kisses. Evan’s heart started to beat too rapidly as he wondered if he’d gone too far when he accused Chris of not caring. Chris had done nothing but care for him since the moment the other had laid eyes on him, been eternally patient with him, given him everything he possibly could – and not just in monetary terms, but also the love, affection and genuine concern for his well-being that he had always been lacking before. He had only wanted to get some kind of reaction from Chris other than that blankness and disassociation. 

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it like that...” Evan could feel his eyes starting to fill with tears; he had been on such an emotional rollercoaster lately and the worst of it seemed to have come that day. If Chris withdrew his affection then that would be Evan’s only safety net, the one thing he knew he could always rely on, ripped from him. He didn’t know what he would do if he lost that, even for a short time – Chris had barely been cold to him for an hour and already he felt like he was losing his mind along with his mate’s approval. 

“I acted like a brat,” he said miserably, clinging on to Chris’ top, refusing to let the man draw away from him. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I don’t know why I said those things, I just need you to look at me, not through me. The way you’ve been since you got back, I’m starting to feel like I’m not even here.”

Chris caught hold of Evan’s wrists, not pulling the other man away from him but making no move to draw him closer either, the move probably only because Evan’s hands were twisting in the fabric and given how strong he was, the fabric was on the verge of tearing. “Evan,” he said with weary patience, blue eyes meeting Evan’s red-rimmed ones. “In the last twenty-four hours I have been knocked about stopping a speeding car, I’ve had to deal with an enemy of the pack locked away in the house, I’ve had to invite the man who tried to kill me and take my mate from me into my home, I’ve had to make the decision of life or death over another person and decide whether or not a good friend of mine should have to live with the burden of being my accomplice. I’ve had to watch someone who used to be my pack brother be killed and then I had to torch the body and hide the evidence. And when I wake up, I’m gonna have to call Christian and tell him and explain my actions.” In some ways that was going to be the hardest part of all – his pack accepted his decisions as leader, Christian however had known him since he was a pup, had been Edge’s best friend way back when and wasn’t afraid to question Chris’ actions right to his face. 

“I’ve had to make decisions for the good of the pack as a whole, regardless of how it affects an individual member and yes, that includes you and me. That’s my role, whether I like having the ultimate responsibility for those choices or not. I’m tired and I’m stressed and all I want to do is sleep, maybe get a little moral or emotional support from my mate. The last thing I need to do is come back to you wanting to fight all night. I know it’s been a hard night for you, I know it must have been horrible. But it’s been a horrible night for me too and maybe just this once, I needed something from you too.” His voice was barely a hoarse whisper as he disentangled Evan’s hands from his shirt. “And I’m not gonna get it.”

He stepped past Evan and exited the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him and wondering just how much of Evan’s rants had been audible. The manor was large and their rooms weren’t close, but their sharp hearing meant that all of them sometimes picked up on what was going on in each other’s rooms. His own mate challenging him over his decisions was not good for the pack as a whole, it led to dissention. He ached to go back into his own room, curl up with Evan and allow the whole experience to be left behind, but he was tired and slightly sickened by what had happened that night, his pride was something he could usually let go of when it came to his mate, but that night he was simply unable. He hadn’t had a choice, but Evan didn’t see it that way, saw only that his mate was disregarding his feelings. And Evan had accused him of ordering Edge’s execution for convenience. That hurt. He had needed the reassurance that Wade wasn’t about to go out for revenge and to offer Justin temporary sanctity for the long-term future of the pack, and Evan, and being complicit in Edge’s death filled him with a gnawing guilt. The pack might have been there and watched and it hadn’t been Chris who dealt the killing blow – but without his orders, Edge could well still have been alive. 

The living room was out, it stank of Justin in there and his scent filled Chris with memories that he didn’t care to revisit that night. There were other rooms, but he didn’t feel like that either. There was no bed in his own house that he would not feel alien and alone in. On impulse, he went down the stairs and to his studio; although he had officially retired from the music industry he couldn’t leave music itself alone. He still played guitar every day, wrote songs, played around for his own amusement. Probably there was a couple of albums worth of stuff there and when he died there were going to be a lot of people wanting that material. If Evan was savvy about the ensuing bidding war, he could make a small fortune, although Chris suspected that would be the last thing on his mind in that position. 

There had been a lot of nights pre-Evan that he had simply fallen asleep in the studio, there was a comfortable reclining chair in there for just that reason and although the nights he’d spent there since his mate had come into his life were rare, they weren’t entirely unknown and now, needing the reassurance of the familiar (and before Evan, music had been the forefront of his life, in front of even the pack), he chose to spend the night there. He could have entertained himself with some music, making his own or listening to one of the thousands of CDs on his expensive equipment – the room was the only one in the house that was completely soundproofed, so that no sound messed with his recordings rather than so no one could listen in. But he didn’t feel right doing so. He was still too keyed-up to sleep in spite of his genuine exhaustion and after a couple of minutes getting himself comfortable on the chair, the throw that was usually over the back of the seat covering his legs, he glanced at the phone beside it. The phone was a silent one, actually designed to help deaf people by flashing rather than ringing (although Chris had occasionally wondered if a person who couldn’t hear the shrill insistence of a normal phone was going to be able to hear a conversation via one, but he’d always preferred mulling over the question to finding a mundane answer and not looked into it). He grabbed it from its cradle, frowning a moment as he tried to recall the number he needed and then dialling. He had pretty good recall when it came to numbers and it came in useful, rather than having to go and find his phone he was able to call Christian from where he was. It was late, he realised that, but he didn’t feel like putting off the news until the morning. 

The phone rang for a long time and Chris was almost sure he was about to go through to the voice mail when a sleepy, unfamiliar and rather suspicious voice answered. “Who is this?”

Chris frowned to himself, wondering for a moment if he’d dialled the wrong number. “Who’s this?” he countered, realising even as he said it that it was probably a stupid question, he could guess.

There was a sneer in the voice when it replied, a definite theatrical grandeur. “My name is Alberto Del Rio—“

“I already knew that,” interrupted Chris. “Put Christian on the phone.”

There was a put-out silence on the other end and Chris sighed, not in the mood to baby someone he’d never met. Hell, if he couldn’t even gain the patience to reassure the man he loved... “Now,” he snapped, not liking the direction his thoughts were going in. 

A sigh, a long pause, and then he heard Alberto speak again, away from the phone. “Chihuahua. Who is Chris and why does he call in the middle of the night?”

“Chris?” Christian’s voice was faint, some distance from the phone, but Chris picked it up anyway. He didn’t sound surprised to be getting a call, that much seemed clear. “It’s a work call.”

“It’s the middle of the night and you have been acting strangely through most of it...”

“This could be a huge bust, its serious Alberto. Go back to bed, it’s nothing for you to worry about.” Chris heard another pause, then Christian’s voice louder in his ear. “Hi Chris. I wondered when you were gonna call.”

Chris shook his head a little, trying to clear it. It had been a long night and he was mentally worn out, now Christian was talking in riddles. “What? Why would you be expecting a call from me?”

“Wait.” Christian went quiet a few seconds, then spoke again. “I had to go somewhere else. Alberto’s suspicious. I’m not gonna hear the end of you calling at this hour. He can be weirdly insecure when it comes to me.”

“Maybe he loves you,” said Chris, although the joke that he’d intended wasn’t in his voice.

“Maybe he does.” Christian paused. “This is about Edge, isn’t it?”

Chris’ eyes widened. “How did you know?”

Christian laughed humourlessly. “The biker I told you about? I went to my offices today, checking in on a few things since I’ve been off – I still am officially, but it was only a quick visit. He wasn’t there when I went in, when I came out he’s parked right outside, waiting for me. I asked him what he was doing there.” That mirthless laugh again. “He told me that Edge was gonna die tonight. That I could stop it if I wanted to, but the choice was entirely mine. And then he took off the shades he always wears – shit Chris, his eyes were pure white. It startled the hell out of me, I don’t know how he could even see but I knew he was looking right at me. And then he told me it was probably better for everyone if I didn’t bother.”

For long seconds, Chris didn’t know what to say. “What time was this?” 

“It was maybe three in the afternoon. He put his shades back on and rode off down the street before I could ask who or how or where. But he never does give answers you already know.” Christian brought the conversation back on track. “So, Edge is dead?”

“Yeah,” said Chris slowly, explaining everything briefly from Randy’s midnight disappearance right up to burning the body. “I know I owe it to you to tell you – maybe I should have gotten you involved from the start but I know you don’t want all that pack business in your life anymore.”

“Or maybe you thought I’d question your decision and you didn’t want that,” returned Christian bluntly. Chris winced, but didn’t get the chance to argue before Christian continued. “I’m not sure I would have done. This vendetta, it had to end somewhere and better here than somewhere down the line when he’s managed to do irreparable harm.”

“I’m not sure he hasn’t already,” said Chris, closing his eyes a moment. Damn, he was tired. “I’ve never known John and Randy to act like this before, not so much later on but last night and today – they weren’t being their usual selves. I’ve seen them fight before but nothing quite like this. It’s not even really a fight, it’s something else. Something deeper.” He sighed. “And I’m sleeping alone tonight myself.”

“Chris.” Christian’s voice was sharp. “You swore you weren’t giving up on Evan. You had Justin in the house tonight. You should have expected he’d be upset.”

“Upset, I expected,” said Chris wearily. “Shouting and throwing accusations around, I didn’t need. The last thing I can deal with tonight are personal attacks. Is it so wrong to want a little support from my mate?”

“No,” replied Christian. “And it’s not wrong of him to want the same thing.”

“I’ve done nothing but give him all the support and understanding I could—“

“He was in the same house with a man who molested him, for hours, without you there to protect him,” said Christian with maddening calm. “He was going to have some kind of reaction, even if he knew intellectually that Justin wouldn’t harm him. You might have been better off talking him down, instead of letting your pride get in the way.” 

“So I don’t get to have any reaction to having a shitty night myself?” said Chris, knowing his tone was petulant and slightly childish even as he spoke. 

“You don’t always get to demand the reactions you want when you want them and you don’t always get to parcel away people’s feelings until you’re in the mood to deal with them.” Christian let out a quiet sigh that Chris heard clearly. “You can’t let this resentment fester between the two of you Chris. You know how that ends up working out for our kind.” He raised his voice unexpectedly. “Alberto, I know you’re trying to casually wander past and hear what I’m saying. Cut it out! Chris, I’d better go.”

“Yeah.” Chris hesitated. “About Edge. Are you okay?”

“I don’t know.” Christian paused to consider it. “I really don’t know. I wouldn’t have wanted this for him, never. But knowing what he’s done since being exiled from the pack – I can’t think of any other way it could have gone for him. I’m sorry it went this far and I’ll mourn him. But who he used to be rather than who he ended up being, if that makes any sense.”

“Yeah, it does.” Chris bid goodbye to Christian, wondering if Alberto was giving him the third degree the moment he got off the phone and what excuses he would be making. But not for long. His mind went back to Evan as he put the phone aside and tried to get comfortable. Evan was up the stairs, probably breaking his heart over what had happened between them. Or maybe madder than hell, given the mood he’d been in most of the day and night. Whichever one was true, Chris felt a pang of sorrow. He didn’t want to be in the studio, music was no longer his life. Evan was his life. Being the pack leader, being strong for everyone all the time, was exhausting. He just wanted to have a few hours where he could let that go, curl up against his mate and feel secure after so much uncertainty and worry. The leather upholstery was a poor substitute. 

The soundproofed room meant that he didn’t hear anything until the door opened, immediately he half-sat, still tense and on alert after the events of the evening. But it was just Evan, nervous but defiant, standing in the door to the room and watching him. Chris didn’t say anything, wondering if the man had come to carry on the argument and knowing if that was the case, then he’d probably end up saying something he’d regret as soon as it came from his mouth, he was in no mood to bite back hurtful words. The he registered that Evan was holding something. The duvet from their bed was rolled up in his arms, held against his chest.

Evan walked in, closing the door softly behind him and going over to the chair Chris was lying in. Without a word, Evan unfurled the duvet, took the remote for the music system and put on a radio station, so low even they could barely hear it, the classic rock ballads that Chris used to listen to when he couldn’t sleep, before Evan had been there. After the argument, it was surreal and in his wearied state, Chris couldn’t quite fathom what was happening. “Evan...?”

“Hush,” said Evan absently, crawling into the chair with Chris, half-lying on him and pulling the duvet over them. Chris suddenly remembered a time when they had first met and he had brought Evan back to the house, before they had been having a sexual relationship and he had been working. Evan had come to him after he’d worked himself so late that he hadn’t had the energy to make it from the room, almost asleep in that same chair when the younger man had come in, curled up with him and stayed there the whole night. The chair was about large enough for the both of them if they didn’t mind being incredibly close. Chris had never minded that for a moment. 

Evan’s face was inches from his and he felt the others hands in his hair, stroking it back from the temples gently. The recline meant that they were all but lying anyway and Evan nestled into Chris’ chest, never once stopping those soothing actions with his hands. Chris let his eyes close, reassured. Evan was there with him and in the morning he could apologise and start to make things right – but for now, he had the man’s permission to just let it all go and rest awhile.

~:~

Even in sleep, Cody refused to let Ted stray from his arms. It had been a long, stressful night for the younger of the two, worrying himself sick about Ted, then worrying himself sick about Evan, confronting Justin and finding that he actually had some sympathy for someone he’d been hating with good reason – it had all taken its toll. When Ted had returned from dumping the car, Cody had insisted his mate take a quick shower because he smelled of petrol, smoke and blood and Ted had been happy to indulge him. But Ted had been so tired that he’d crashed almost as soon as he hit the sheets, while Cody wasn’t far behind, the stress having worn him out. That didn’t mean that he was relaxed enough to let his mate from his arms however. The entire pack slept late, not that Cody would have awoken even if they’d woken at dawn and thrown a loud party. 

He would have liked to have been roused naturally, to the sight of Ted also just beginning to sleepily open his own eyes and smile at him, both of them knowing that the worst was over and done with, that they could go on back to normal. But the insistent ringing of his mobile phone was what actually brought consciousness back. For a moment he considered ignoring it, but the sound had Ted frowning in his sleep and Cody didn’t want Ted to be prematurely awoken given all that he had seen the night before – Ted had been sparing on the details, but Cody knew damn well that watching an execution and hiding the evidence would have taken its toll on the other. Better to let him have his sleep. Grabbing the phone, Cody checked out the caller ID and frowned before answering. “Mrs M?”

Drew’s mother sounded bright enough, but also brittle, like the sunniness in her voice was false. “Cody! Good morning!”

“Yeah, it’s a very good morning and early—“Cody glanced at his watch and realised it probably wasn’t that early actually. His brain was still sleep-fogged and he didn’t know why his ex-boyfriends mother would be calling him – unless Drew had suggested it to win Cody back somehow? That didn’t seem likely. Oh hell, Drew had told his mother that things were over between them, hadn’t he?

“Sorry to wake you Cody,” said Mrs McIntrye, sounding apologetic. “And to call out of the blue like this – I know things didn’t end well between you and Drew and I’m very sorry about that. You’re such a nice young man and Drew...” Cody could picture the expression on her face easily by the tone in her voice, fondness for her child with exasperation at his behaviour. She seemed to wear that expression a lot. “I don’t know what that boy’s thinking half the time.”

“That’s okay Mrs M,” replied Cody, trying to keep his voice low so Ted wouldn’t wake, although the only response to his talking Ted had shown so far was to roll onto his side, throw an arm over Cody’s stomach and keep sleeping. “Is there something I can help you with?”

Mrs McIntyre laughed a little, a far cry from her usual healthy chuckle and that seemed artificial too. “It’s just – this is probably a sore subject I know, but what do you know about that man that Drew left you for?”

Cody blinked. “Uh, Drew left me for – I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

“Ohhh.” The woman sounded annoyed at herself. “I’m sorry, I should nae have said. I thought you knew already, I suppose Drew made up some feeble excuse instead.” She sounded disgusted again, with herself this time. “But there’s something odd about all this and I just wanted to find out more.”

A suspicion was building in Cody’s head, one that he didn’t like one bit. “Maybe I know who it is anyway, there’s that chance. Did this man have a name?”

“Ha!” There was derision in the woman’s voice and she carried on, barely stopping for breath. Cody let her, knowing from experience it did no good to try to cut in. “I went over to visit you boys, since Drew hasn’t called in an age and what do I find? Your things all gone and that man there instead, like he owned the place! Oh, I asked him for his name and he gives one of those ridiculous street names, Punk. I asked if that was what his mother called him and he just laughed. Said his mother called him whatever he damn well told her to call him! And Drew...” Her voice went to puzzled and frightened. “He was just standing there, not a word from him. He barely spoke to me and when he did it was all, Punk says this, Punk thinks that. I was worried Cody, so I went back there this morning. Only they were gone.”

Cody frowned. “Gone? Maybe Drew was at work?”

“I called. He’s not been to work, not since the last time we saw you. He says he’s sick. But I spoke to one of the neighbours when he was off to work himself. He said they left last night with a couple of bags. But why would Drew go anywhere without letting me know where he was going? He never did that before!”

“I don’t know,” said Cody slowly. “I haven’t spoken to him in a while. I really have no idea where his head’s at just lately. But if I hear from him or find anything out, I’ll let you know, okay?”

He spent a while longer reassuring the woman that it might have been some spur-of-the-moment romantic getaway (and also that relations between Cody Rhodes and the rest of the McIntyre clan were just fine in spite of everything) before saying goodbye and putting the phone aside, all thoughts of sleep forgotten. He rested against the headboard a moment, then became aware of being watched. Looking down, he couldn’t help but smile. Ted was looking up at him, barely awake, hair tousled and a sleepy smile on his face. Damn, his Ted was just irresistible, regardless of the hour.

“Mornin’ baby,” murmured Ted, blinking a couple of times and seeming to register all was not well with his lover. “Cody? Babe, what’s wrong?”

Cody sank back onto the bed, looking up at the ceiling. “I think Drew might be a werewolf.”

~~

Evan watched as Chris fell into slumber, seeing some of the tension that had been prematurely lining his mate’s gorgeous face melting away… and he hoped that his presence had something to do with that. When he was sure Chris was asleep deeply he gently eased his hands from his mate’s hair and curled into his chest some more. The giant chair was comfortable enough but he knew he wouldn’t have been able to bear it if it had been him and he had just had the duvet alone—he hated that he had been the reason Chris had felt unable to sleep in their bed. He had been so focused on his own feelings that he hadn’t thought about Chris’ at all and he had been understandably knocked back in a manner that made him feel uncomfortably disconcerted for Chris never knocked him back.

“I’m so sorry, Chris.” Evan whispered into the chest of his sleeping lover, gently adjusting the blankets so that Chris was more covered whilst he still kept his head out from underneath the duvet lest he accidentally suffocate himself or something. “I’ll be better, I promise.” He acknowledged that he had stepped out of bounds earlier with his comments, because they had been way beyond unfair, and he swore to himself that he would make it up to the other later on when he had had chance to rest. And, he was going to start by making the other some breakfast. It seemed like eons since he had last seen any of the household eat a decent meal that wasn’t take-out, and even though it wasn’t completely his fault he couldn’t help feeling responsible as that was usually his main area of domestic overseeing.

It felt like he would never get to sleep due to the aching in his chest and the hundreds of thoughts running through his mind but the rhythm of Chris’ chest rising and falling, and the soft sound of his deep, even breathing, seemed to have a profound effect on Evan in that he fell asleep before too much time had passed at all. The next thing he was aware of there was a small amount of sunlight filtering through the small windows that lined the studio, the curtains that were in there only thin since the room wasn’t used too often and such protection from the sunlight was unnecessary. Blinking several times Evan then yawned softly behind his hand and gently eased himself into a sitting position whilst trying not to interrupt his mate’s sleep, feeling momentarily disconcerted and disoriented about the fact he and Chris were not in their bed or their room, until the memories of last night came back to him and he sighed softly. He was going to have to start his atonement now, wasn’t he?” gently he dropped a kiss to Chris’ cheek as he got off of the chair and then tucked the still-sleeping alpha in further.

Usually if he moved away from the other even a little bit Chris would wake up but Evan supposed that it was a testament to how much his mate had truly been suffering underneath the weight of all that had happened (most potently the night before) and Evan felt terrible that he had been adding to those troubles. Chris had never done anything but the right thing in the end even if –like this time—it seemed like the wrong thing for a long time. Giving a soft, affectionate smile towards where Chris slept in the chair, Evan then turned around and headed out of the studio and towards the kitchen. To his surprise Cody and Ted were already there… and they both looked tense.

Immediately Evan wanted to say that whatever new problem had come up they could forget it; no more, they had all been through enough and anything else that had come up wasn’t worth it, but he couldn’t do that. If something had come up, yet again, then they would need to deal with it. Mercifully it would be something small that Chris wouldn’t need to worry about other than giving some sort of permission for them to do their own thing about it or something… but he wasn’t holding his breath he could admit. Moving to the fridge he got out several packs of bacon and sausages, and the butter, beginning to fry eggs. “You two want some?” the pair of them immediately offered to do their own and Evan waved them off firmly, “I’m already making some, and so what’s the use in you all doing so?” They didn’t seem to have a response for that and merely gave thanks—Cody then jumping up to make them all tea and coffee since Evan was on the food. Ted watched as his mate and Evan interacted with a surprising amount of seamlessness considering that they hadn’t been around one another all that long if you thought about it, not getting in each other’s ways at all.

“How are you feeling today?” Cody asked a little tentatively and Evan supposed that was unsurprising since he had all but bitten the other’s head off last night when the other had been attempting to get him to stay away from Justin. “I’m doing alright,” Evan said, eyes flickering between them both, seeing that Ted especially looked rather weary, “-How are you two?” Ted gave a small shrug and nodded, though Evan had a feeling his lack of inclination to talk had little to do with what had happened last night and seemed more to do with whatever had gotten them both wound up this morning. And he knew there was something: there had to be to have that sort of atmosphere around them when they had gotten everything sorted out.

“Evan—“Evan had his attention back on the stove at that point, turning over the eggs as Cody began to get plates ready after setting the tea and coffees at the table (being directed, admittedly, on occasion to who had what in theirs) and he turned enough to look over his shoulder. “Do me a favour, guys, please?” they both looked at one another before then nodding in tandem, “I’d like to leave whatever you have to say until after breakfast. Everyone is tired, you’re both tired I’m sure, and Chris is definitely tired.” There was no mistaking the firmness in Evan’s voice and both men nodded their heads almost reflexively. Soon, Evan had made both of them plates of food and asked if they could watch what was cooking next as he went to see whether John and Randy would be up and ready for breakfast or whether he’d set it aside until they did wake. However, before he had even reached the kitchen door Randy was walking through it. “Somethin’ smells good.” He rumbled hand rubbing his exposed stomach, the man having thrown on some low-hanging sweatpants to be seen in.

“I didn’t know whether you’d be up…” Evan went back to the cooker and focused on making the food as Randy said, “John isn’t, so I’m gonna take ours up. That alright?” he asked, knowing Evan wouldn’t mind but respecting that the man was defacto the one who had the most right to be there out of all of them since he was Chris’ partner and Chris was the one who owned the manor-house and lived in it day-in-day-out. “Sure thing,” Evan said, stacking bacon, eggs and bread-and-butter on both plates and placing them on a tray as Cody indicated which coffee belonged to the two men, “How’s John doing?” Randy sighed softly, shrugging a little and looking frustrated at his own response even then. Evan paused slightly and realised that his and Chris’ tension must also have been affecting their pack; never before had it ever been heard of, of mates splitting up, but whenever they had a row (and before then it had been very rare) it had the ability to make them feel like kids watching their parents having such a ding-dong row one could be forgiven for thinking that they were going to divorce. Thanking Evan for the food Randy then made his way out of the kitchen again and back upstairs. Evan had yet more food cooking and then reluctantly went to go and wake his mate before his coffee went cold. When he saw Chris was still sleeping he almost relented.

However, Chris needed food and he could always go back to sleep once he was done if there was no outstanding business to attend to. Moving over to the chair Evan leant a little as he shook Chris’ shoulder gently, “Wake up baby, your breakfast is almost—“he was suddenly startled into silence when a hand covered the back of his neck and pulled him down so that lips pressed against his own. Feeling his eyes prickle somewhat at the firm, warm touch, relief flooding through him at the contact, Evan cupped Chris’ cheek with his own hand and returned the kiss. It was slow, thorough, sending tingles throughout his entire body until he almost ended up on top of Chris without even meaning to. The apology in the kiss was loud and clear but he knew that his lover would attempt to find what he deemed the correct words too. Breaking the contact reluctantly Evan was left breathing rather heavily as his forehead rested atop his mate’s, “Your breakfast is almost ready—do you want me to bring it down to you or do you wanna come up?” Chris’ eyes were bleary with sleep, but partially open, a small smile quirking one corner of his mouth, “I’ll come up, Puppy.”

“I don’t mind bringing it down—“Evan started gently but Chris was already shaking his head and sitting upright, “I’m up now… I need to stretch my legs anyway.” Chris pushed the duvet back from his body and then folded it, settling it atop the chair until he would take it up later, beginning to head to the door. “Chris?” Evan started tentatively, eyes dropping to the ground before he looked up again. “I’m sorry.” He said weakly. Chris’ face momentarily didn’t change and then he held his hand out to his mate. A small, uncertain but relieved smile came out onto Evan’s face as he slipped his fingers through his mate’s. “I’m sorry too… but we can talk about this later… Ok?” Chris looked to his mate and Evan nodded his head hastily and murmured softly, “Ok Chris.” The raven haired man followed his mate upstairs and then gently ushered Chris to sit down at the table whilst he hastened to rescue the food that had been cooking; thankfully it hadn’t burnt. Chris nodded in greeting to Cody and Ted and Ted couldn’t remember a time when his alpha had looked so worn out… not since his retirement from the music business and he had been travelling all over the place. “Morning.” The greeting was returned as Chris settled, giving his mate’s backside a small affectionate pat when he received his plate. “Something wrong, boys?”

~~~~~~~~

Punk hummed slightly as he stretched himself out over the length of the bed that took up most of the space of the hotel room that he and Drew had checked into. From the looks of things the decision to leave hadn’t come a moment too soon since Drew’s irritating dam—mother, had taken to sniffing around them both. Punk had almost hurled in disgust at how much she had gushed to Drew (in another room, in what she thought was a quiet voice but of course he heard every word) about how horrible it was that the two had broken up and wasn’t he sure that he could make up for it or something. Drew had been uncomfortably aware that Punk could hear each word, scared for his mother’s safety in the back of his mind, almost; never before had he felt so disconnected from the woman who had born him and give him birth, feeling the strangest urge to go back into the living-room with Punk. As soon as his mother had left Punk had been standing at his side, a deceptively bored expression on his face, “We’re leaving. Now. Pack whatever you want, but make it fast.” And he’d obeyed.

And so they had somehow ended up in some surprisingly swanky hotel many, many miles from his flat. Punk had taken the liberty of getting them a rental car and the room, once again making Drew wonder where the man received his funding from. From what he had seen Punk didn’t even have a job and from what it seemed like he wasn’t going to be going back to work for a while. But, Punk didn’t seem worried and had told him not to be worried, so… he wasn’t worried. Much. Drew watched as Punk clicked the TV on, adjusting it to find a channel that he was able to consider bearable. When he found one he left it on and dropped the remote, stretching out and then wriggling his toes in an almost childish manner as he flashed Drew a smile, tongue playing with his lip piercing. “Drew, get the menu and phone… let’s see what the meat puppets have on offer here; I’m starving.” Drew would have commented that they ate a big meal not before leaving a few hours before, but he too already needed sustenance.

Drew moved and took the phone from where it rested atop the vanity desktop besides the little kettle, tea and coffee implements and then picked the fancy menu up too and took both over to Punk. Before he could think to move around and look at the room a little more, Punk’s hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled him back. Punk had never struck him as a type who needed contact constantly before, but it seemed that he did; he’d rarely ever let Drew out of his sight and as of yet he’d not let the man leave his previous flat before without him—not even to go to work, as aforementioned. “Hm… How about I order for us? From the looks of it we’ll need to get everything just to have some decent portions.” Drew looked over the menu, nodding, “Alright.” He’d never exactly been a fussy eater and he had discovered since his change he had been even less fussier than usual… and he didn’t just mean in the terms of trying meat for the first time pre-death and cleaning, pre-processing and cooking.

A few minutes later and the man on the other end of the line had assured him all of it would be brought up as soon as they could possibly bring it—and their drinks, of course. Dessert would come later, in the form of Drew, as far as Punk was concerned… but then there was another part of him that wasn’t exactly in the mood to wait. Standing, Puck undid the grey hoody that he was wearing and then pulled his t-shirt off. Much like all betas Drew was immediately drawn to look at his mate, technically not the man’s mate but as affected by him as if he was; that was all a beta was after all, just a potential for a mate if the alpha didn’t already have one. Slowly, Punk circulated his hips and then let his jeans fall down as well until he was completely naked. “You have two minutes, Drew.” On that note he headed into the bathroom and fiddled with the shower until he got the water acceptable. Not moments later Drew was coming through the door of the bathroom gloriously naked, hair loose.

“Punk…” Drew started as he joined his alpha underneath the water. He had been curious; the man had been acting weird ever since they had left, almost eerily gleeful about something, but he had yet to elaborate and Drew doubted that the hotel room would be that exciting for Drew. “—What’s going on?” Punk’s eyes widened slightly, giving the other a deceptively innocent look, “Drew, you seriously are so paranoid? What did that little twink do to you?” Drew sincerely doubted that Cody officially counted as a twink but he had already learnt about what had happened when he corrected Punk, so he let it pass and ignored it. Having Cody mentioned before him now had a strange feeling building in his chest—one that he couldn’t say was good or bad. By this point Punk had handed Drew the body-wash they had brought with them and began soaping his alpha’s body up when he sensed the unspoken command, “So…” he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something that he wasn’t being told, “Nothing’s going on?” Punk nodded his head, short hair plastered flat to his head because of the water, tattoos seeming oddly bright under the bathroom light, “Not a thing.”

Why did Drew have a feeling Punk was lying… and not for good reason?


	27. Chapter Twenty-Six: Marvel-At-Me.Com

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Punk sets more wheels in motions with Drew as his unwilling accomplice.

Cody had managed to hold in his suspicions until lunch-time, when Ted had gently prompted him that time enough was time enough; even though they may not have to do anything about it, it would be good to be forewarned… recent times had taught them how much the element of surprise and secrecy could destroy everything. Exhaling a breath he rubbed a hand through his hair and then brought his hand up to knock smartly on Chris’ door. He had seen Evan heading off upstairs together earlier, and had decided to let them be. Everyone had heard them last night and it had been apparent that neither of them had been in their room even… which denoted that Chris had probably decided to sleep alone after their row and Evan had made the first move of reconciliation. For a moment Cody cursed, thinking the pair might be asleep, but then a rather husky voice called out, “Come in!” and Cody swallowed before opening the door, “A-Are you sure? I—I can come back after…”

Immediately the scent of musk and sex assaulted him and Cody shivered despite himself; their kind were always affected by such scents regardless of who made them, and Cody was just discovering that there was a strange sense of… something, when it was the alpha’s scent. There, on the bed, with the big duvet kicked off as well as the under-sheets, lay Evan and Chris. Or, well, if you wanted to be accurate, Evan was lain out underneath Chris and Chris was braced over his small mate, Evan’s legs still wrapped around the man’s waist. Cody’s cheeks blazed bright red at the sight, though Chris looked as though he wasn’t bothered at all by the fact the other man was seeing them as such and Evan was looking so thoroughly shagged that he didn’t seem to care about much. From the fact that Chris had apparently finished not moments before, and looked strangely energetic even then, Cody could only surmise that he’d be ready for round two soon enough. Had it not been for the fact that he knew Chris and Evan had not had actual penetration-including intercourse since Evan had been abducted, and everything that had happened between them emotionally, he would have thought that the timing was slightly off—maybe though this what was they had needed all along to try and help things along.

“Shit, sorry!” Much to Chris’ amusement Cody covered his eyes with his hands (even though he had already seen) and began blurting further apologies. “Cody, I invited you in.” Chris murmured softly, caressing Evan’s thigh as his mate gave a soft sound of discontent at being separated from the other. For the moment though Evan was looking like he was halfway between sleep and awake and Cody supposed that the other had invited him in because he was going to give Evan a chance to ease up momentarily and calm himself down. “Now what is it?” when Evan gave a small growl through the soft moans he was still making, relaxed and contented, Chris pulled one of the sheets from the floor and covered his lap up. Cody bit his lip, looking beyond apologetic, “Um, maybe we should go and talk outside?” when Chris shook his head Cody exhaled and nodded. “I think… Drew’s mother called me, and long-story short she was under the impression that I would know where Drew was… and that I could tell her something about Drew’s new boyfriend—“Cody could see that Chris was beginning to get impatient and so said, “—whose name was only given to her as ‘Punk’.” He knew he had Chris’ attention then, the man’s eyes flashing slightly.

“I see…” Chris looked between Cody and his mate, Evan’s eyes closed but Cody could tell that the man was not totally asleep, “Can we discuss this later?” Cody immediately nodded, hand already reaching behind him to open up the door again, “Of course: I’m sorry I interrupted.” There was something strange about Chris’ mood, though maybe it could be because Cody had interrupted an alpha apparently reinstating his claim and position upon a mate whose faith in him had undoubtedly been shaken whether he wanted to admit it or not. Once the door had closed behind Cody, Chris let the sheet fall to the floor once more and resumed his position besides Evan’s form. Dropping kisses over Evan’s still lightly sweaty flesh, feeling the thrumming of the pulse there that he had aroused not too long before, Chris murmured, “Puppy… are you too tired?”  
“For you?” Evan whispered after a moment’s silence, “Never.” He reached, pulling Chris closer.

Cody exhaled as he went outside into the courtyard garden, needing to calm himself down and to wipe the thoughts from his mind of what he had just seen. It was apparent that he had caught Chris at a time wherein the wolf was stirring even without the moon’s influence and he was surprised how much it had changed Chris—not in a permanent or necessarily bad sense, but still in a noticeable way. Feeling arms around his waist Cody startled slightly, relaxing immediately when his mind caught up with him and he leant back into Ted’s body. “Hey baby.” Ted pressed a soft kiss to the underside of Cody’s jaw and held him close, “What happened?” Cody gave a slight laugh, looking rather embarrassed as he shook his head and cleared his throat softly, “Let’s just say that Chris isn’t exactly in the mood to talk right now.” Ted arched a brow slightly, and Cody answered the unanswered question that he could sense from his mate, “I think everything has finally boiled over for the pair of them… hopefully the Drew thing will amount to nothing and then we can all truly work at getting our lives back on track.” Squeezing his lover around the middle lightly Ted sighed gently and rested his head against Cody’s, “That sounds good to me.”

~:~

Evan supposed he should be used to it by now, but he never ceased to be surprised by Chris’ stamina. When Chris had brought Evan into his life and yet refused to do anything sexual with him, at first at least, Evan had wondered if maybe Chris simply wasn’t into sex as he’d heard some men were not, or rather more depressingly, if it was something to do with him, his looks or his height or his past. But Chris hadn’t seemed uninterested, merely blessed with iron self-control when he had to be (and when he didn’t have to be, he didn’t bother to control himself at all). It had been Evan who had made the first tentative move on Chris to indicate that he’d like more – and in spite of the revulsion he’d felt about intimacy pre-Chris, he had found he wanted the man so much it was a kind of constant, low-grade fever. As soon as he’d established that he genuinely wanted Chris, the alpha had taken him to bed and simply worn him out; Evan had still been human at that point and even though Chris was considerate of him, Evan had still been amazed at just how much endurance he had. Since he had been changed Evan’s own stamina had increased exponentially, but he was still sometimes taken by surprise at just how often Chris was able to make love to him – and rather than being irritated by this, it had made him feel genuinely desired and needed.

But there had been no physicality between them since the attack, not until that morning. He had slept in the bed with Chris, been able to kiss the other after a while, but he hadn’t felt able to go any further and Chris hadn’t pushed him – and in spite of knowing that Chris was feeling the lack (he had been close enough to feel the others physical reactions after all) he had wondered if what had happened to him had put Chris off. Having smelled someone else all over his mate had affected Chris in a way that Evan had been too upset to truly understand at first, but he was starting to realise. Holding everything and everyone together was starting to affect Chris noticeably and Evan was certain that he could do something about that. 

And there was his nature to throw into the equation. When he had been human and felt used after sleeping with one of the men that paid for his rent and food, he had known he could happily live without sex for the rest of his life. It was only after he had met Chris he had felt the stirring of desire and since he had been changed, his libido had noticeably increased. The lunar heat might not be upon them yet, but he knew it was close and what the hell were they supposed to do if they hadn’t begun the physical side of their relationship again at that point? Chris would take off rather than push him, being driven out of his mind by the need to be with his mate. Evan knew that the same thing would happen to him. And if they did allow themselves to be overcome by their baser urges, then it would not be necessarily because of a real need to be with Chris so much as it was a need to mate. 

Knowing that, he had waited until after breakfast – although knowing that there was something that Cody and Ted had to say was hard; he didn’t think Chris needed any further problems. Some of that was shame over how he had made those problems worse the night before, much as he knew he had been justified in his anger he was well aware that he had picked the wrong time and crossed a line he should never have dreamed of. Questioning Chris’ decisions and morals loud enough for the whole pack to hear him – that was about the worst thing a beta could ever do to his mate. Show some reticence in private perhaps, but he was too aware of what he had said and done. Chris had forgiven that behaviour, but Evan needed to show that he had forgiven Chris too – he had acted insensitively after all – and that he was ready to make a step toward getting their relationship back to how it had been. 

Once breakfast was done with, he suggested to Chris that they went upstairs and got changed – sleeping in the studio meant they hadn’t had anything to hand before breakfast to change into or wash with, not that it had mattered a huge amount. And call him selfish, but he wanted to get out of the room before Cody could start talking about whatever was on his mind. Chris had started to strip off his clothes ready to change and as soon as he had removed the shirt he had slept in, Evan moved up behind him and kissed his shoulders and the back of his neck, slowly and deliberately. At the same time, he had allowed one of his hands to wander over Chris’ abs, gradually snaking lower down to vanish beneath the fabric of the pants. 

Chris had shivered and made some slight noise of pleasure; when he spoke his voice was roughened. “Ev... are you sure? You don’t have to do this...”

“I want to do it.” Evan nipped lightly on Chris’ earlobe. “I want you.” And that had been all the encouragement Chris needed to turn around, pull Evan into his arms proper and take him all the way to heaven and back again. 

Evan supposed he’d be a little embarrassed when he ran into Cody later on, but right at that moment he couldn’t bring himself to care much how Cody had seen them. He had been afraid that when he and Chris took that step that he would freeze up, hearing Justin’s voice as Chris touched those same places that the other man had, or that Chris wouldn’t be able to get the image of Evan debauched and stained with the marks of others out of his mind. But when it had actually happened, Justin had been the last thing on either one’s mind. And he knew why Chris had invited Cody in while they were still joined and readying themselves for more, rather than giving them chance to cover themselves – Chris had been forced to keep too tight a leash on his wolf side of late and was releasing it a little more strongly than usual. It hadn’t gone unnoticed that the two had become close friends in a short time and although Chris had no jealousy of that, knowing that neither one had sexual interest in the other and were entirely devoted to their respective mates, there was no harm in sending out a clear message as to just whom Evan belonged to. It was an instinct that everyone of their kind shared and had nothing to do with jealousy.

He stretched out on the bed, their second bout directly after Cody had left leaving him pleasantly aching, flushed and sweating. Still, he felt good. Much better than he had before, much more relaxed, less angry and upset over everything. Chris lay beside him, dropping the occasional kiss to his skin and although Evan knew they’d need to eat soon given that they tended to get very hungry, he was certain that with that out of the way they’d go straight back to bed. Perhaps they wouldn’t even make it as far as the kitchen before round three. The thought made him smile to himself; they had days when neither one of them bothered to get dressed when it was just the two of them in the manor, usually Evan would go to the kitchen and bring them up food, or Chris would order some ridiculous amount of food and collect it at the door. The rest of the pack might be used to seeing them naked, but Evan didn’t think it was appropriate for them to emerge still bearing all the marks and scents that they were currently covered in. Not that all of them were going to be hidden. 

The last thing he wanted to do was break the mood, but he also didn’t want Chris to neglect pack business on his behalf, although the other probably just wanted to forget pack business for a little while. “Chris,” he murmured, turning his head to look up at the other trustingly, letting the rest of his body remain in the languid, wanton pose he had settled into “Do you need to deal with this thing with Punk, or do I have you to myself for the rest of the day?”

Chris tilted his head slightly. “Puppy, the thing with Punk is that he likes to strike hard then fade away for a while. If he has changed Drew, and there’s no proof of that, then I suspect he’ll be long gone. I’ll send Cody and Ted over there tomorrow, see if they can get a scent from the apartment and tell us for sure, but even if that is the case, then we already know they’re gone. They might show up in six months, or it might be another five years. Or never. I doubt that we’re the only pack that Punk likes to harass. And now he seems to be gathering his own betas, perhaps he’s decided he’s getting too old to be sniffing around causing trouble.” He shivered theatrically. “Punk as alpha... scary thought.”

Evan remembered the coldly amused eyes of the man back in the hotel room and gave a less theatrical and all the more real shudder that Chris noticed, immediately turning his attention back to soothing his mate. Evan might have thought he’d not had the energy to move from the bed, but when he was with Chris it was as if the other infused him with vitality and right away he was able to respond, growling quietly and happily as Chris started paying homage to his neck and chest once more. He didn’t have to ask why Chris didn’t send the two men out right away; every wolf in the pack could be affected by the behaviour and moods of the alpha and catching them in the act had probably made Cody amorous and distracted. If Chris said tomorrow was soon enough, then that was just fine by Evan. He wasn’t as confident that Punk had actually done a runner as Chris was, but if Chris wanted to put the situation aside, then that was perfectly fine with Evan. There was no immediate threat after all – and after the trouble it had caused, he was done with questioning his alpha.

~:~

Had Drew been told the circumstances that would eventually lead to him becoming the werewolf he had lobbied to become and the kind of power that Drew would wield over him, he would have laid money on the man being a selfish lover. Not true. He was demanding, adventurous, seemingly insatiable and greedy, but he was in no way selfish and Drew was never left unsatisfied by their frequent couplings. When Drew and Cody had been a couple, he had imagined that he was perfectly contented with the way his sex life had been – it had been pleasant, mutually orgasmic if not earth shaking, satisfying enough. But Drew had always felt as if Cody were holding back whenever they were together – and now, he thought he could understand why. If Cody and this Ted character were mates and Ted had been the one to change Cody, then Drew could empathise. If he were to have sex with anyone but Punk now, he knew it would seem bland and unsatisfying, there was no feeling quite like being intimate with ones alpha. 

When he thought about Cody now, the burn of anger and jealousy that had made him want to hold on to the other under any circumstances seemed to have evaporated. He didn’t feel that need for the other anymore, or the loss he’d experienced when he realised Cody would never really be his, or when the other had left him. He barely thought about the other man at all. Now he belonged to Punk and it was the tattooed man who took up the whole of his thoughts. 

Punk didn’t like him to wear much when they were alone, so he didn’t. Punk also liked it when he looked good when they were in public, so he made the effort. Oddly enough Punk didn’t seem to care all that much about dressing to impress, but he liked it that Drew did and Drew would do anything to oblige his alpha. Punk made him uneasy, wary, sometimes he thought it might be better if he were to free himself of the other entirely – but he could never do that and he tried not to even entertain such thoughts, since Punk seemed to read them in his eyes. He was hooked; he needed Punk more than he had ever needed anyone or anything ever before. He wondered if that was because Punk had been the one to change him, some kind of instinct to the alpha, or if it was something to do with Punk himself and Drew’s real feelings. It wasn’t as if he could just ask Punk, because the other would never tell him unless it was for Punk’s benefit. In a lot of ways, it was better for Punk to keep Drew in the dark about a lot of things regarding their condition. 

Currently Drew was clad only in a pair of boxers and the almost dried release that they had both left on his body, sitting on the end of the hotel bed, long hair loose down his back. Punk had a fascination with his hair, insisting it was tied up before they went anywhere but freeing it the moment there was no one else to see, spending time letting it trail through his fingers while Drew lay beside him, watching as Punk apparently considered... whatever it was the man was considering. Drew knew Punk would only share it with him when he was good and ready and questions brought only indulgent and clearly false denials, or the occasional sharp order to shut up when Punk wasn’t in the mood to be questioned. 

Punk lay on the bed, one arm behind his head as a makeshift pillow, the other flicking through the television channels with the remote. Punk liked television, Drew noticed, although mostly he seemed to like decrying everything on it as worthless as an odd kind of foreplay. Drew found that he missed the programmes that he used to watch regularly, but not as much as he might have thought. Now there was Punk and that seemed more important. 

Punk settled on some music channel on low, then tossed the remote onto the bed. “Here Drew,” he said casually. Immediately Drew moved back up the bed to settle against Punk. He hated the way in which Punk would sometimes treat him like a pet, the family dog that needed to listen to orders or be punished... but there was a terrible secretive part of him that liked the way Punk could command him, that he had no true rebellion against the behaviour in him. The worst part of all was that Punk damn well knew it and took full advantage. 

Moving his arm from behind his head, Punk absently started playing with the tips of Drew’s hair. “Tell me what you learned about our kind.” Seeing the way Drew looked up at him in some confusion, he chuckled a little. “You’ve had enough exposure to us now. Hell, you are one of us. What do you know, from what you’ve been told and what you’ve seen?”

Drew considered the question, knowing that Punk would indulge him a few moments to work out what he would say, but would eventually demand an answer. “I was told that our kind have always lived in packs and that we’ve always had an alpha, who’s a leader of the pack. In recent times we’ve shaken off the traditional pack template, some packs in other ways than others. That the mate for life thing is a myth, but we should still operate within our packs at all times. And the meat puppets don’t comprehend just what we are and if they did, they’d be unhappy. Uh... I’ve seen that packs behave differently, their pack and yours weren’t the same but I thought...” He trailed off, not wanting to push his luck. 

Punk gave him a slightly amused look. “Go on, say what you like. I won’t bite.”

Drew flushed, thinking of the last time he’d been in the mirror, the marks of Punk’s teeth on his neck and chest, even a fading mark on his inner thigh. “Um, I know that half of their pack was changed by the other half, but no one in your pack was changed by anyone else in the pack. That’s why your pack fell apart in the end.”

“You deserve a gold star,” said Punk with a chuckle. “That’s the same conclusion I came to. I had no particular allegiance to Wade, or to Edge for that matter. It suited me to stick with them for a while, but Wade could never order people to obey him the way Chris can. Though whether that was because the pack knew in their heads that Edge was always pulling his strings, I don’t know for sure myself. I suppose the theory falls apart a little when you consider Chris only changed one of his little followers himself, but you weren’t to know that and I like the way you think.”

Drew felt absurdly pleased at the compliment. “I know that we go mainly off instinct, no matter what your head says there’s something else telling us to act a certain way. And that the betas can’t go against their alphas.”

Punk nodded, seemingly pleased with this. “You’re learning fast. That’s good, I can’t stand fools. So, do you feel any urge to be part of a wider pack?”

“Uh-uh.” Drew shifted so he could look more clearly at Punk, risking the others annoyance but needing to watch his face. Was Punk really thinking of expanding their numbers? It would make sense in a way, he supposed, but he hated the thought of anyone else intruding on them. And as for anyone else feeling for Punk the way he had grown to – it didn’t bear thinking about. 

Punk laughed. “So, that’s one thing about what you’ve heard that’s not wholly true. Me, I’ve always been a lone and haven’t suffered any ill-effects from it. How about the mate’s issue, given that any thought?”

Drew had, more than anything else. Before he had been changed he had thought about it in relation to himself and Cody, thinking it was as simple as him laying claim to the other and that Cody wouldn’t be able to do shit about it. Now it seemed faintly stupid, obvious that he had been too late even before they had started dating and anyway, he was far beyond still wanting Cody. Since he had been turned, he had to wonder if the hold Punk had over him was natural between beta and alpha or the sign of something more. Not that he would dare to suggest to Punk there was some natural connection between them of course, Punk would either laugh in his face, deride him for his backward thinking or possibly viciously shatter his dreams for good. Punk was the centre of his universe, but Drew was under no illusions that the alpha was a kind man, or even a good one. 

“I don’t know,” he said hesitantly. “You all said it was a lie. But I was in Chris’ kitchen with all of them and the way they reacted to things was more than superficial, y’know? And since so much isn’t true, I suppose I’d need more information before I made up my mind for sure.” He saw the smirk that flitted across Punk’s face and gathered enough courage to ask, “What do you think?”

Punk laughed a little. “I think pretty much the same as you do. And also that labels ruin things.”

That wasn’t much of an answer, but Drew let it go. “Punk,” he said hesitantly. “You know everything about me – you know what my job is, where I live, you even met my mum. And I don’t know anything about you. I don’t even know what your real name is.”

Punk gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I’m pretty sure Punk is my real name, it’s what my parents always called me. Well, ‘You Little Punk’ to give me my full title.” Drew didn’t believe for a moment that Punk didn’t know his own name, but clearly he wasn’t going to get an answer right then. As if to stop any more questions along those lines, Punk kept on talking. “I haven’t been anything but Punk for years. What else is there to know?”

“Who changed you?” Drew blurted out. It had been on his mind for a long time, since shortly after he had first met the man and he wasn’t sure he’d get the answer to that any more than he’d get the one to what Punk’s actual name might be. 

But Punk was always full of surprises. “A tattoo artist at a music festival when I was fifteen. I knew I was in the shit for going anyway, assuming anyone noticed I was gone. Figured I might as well get some ink to commemorate it. He wasn’t very good to be honest, I’ve had it mostly covered up since.” He held out his arm, tracing over the long-ago marks that had since been overlaid with overlapping colours and patterns. “But we got to talking. I ended up spitting out a lot of teenage vitriol and telling him how I wanted to ramble, get away for a while, do something different with my life. Not profitable or memorable, just different. He told me he might be able to help me out with that and took me into the tent he was working out of. You can guess what I thought and I was ready to kick his ass if he tried anything. But he didn’t do what I was expecting. Instead, he changed shape.”

Drew watched the expressions on Punk’s face as he got lost in memory. “What did you do?”

Punk snorted. “I told him to stop fucking around and bite me already. I even pulled up the sleeve on my other arm, so he didn’t fuck up the tat.” 

Drew thought back to his own change, even knowing the wolf in his apartment had been Punk hadn’t changed that sense of terror for him and he couldn’t imagine what it was like to face a stranger having no previous knowledge of werewolves and then offering himself up to who knew what. “Did you stick with him, after? What happened to him?”

“I didn’t stick around after he changed me.” Punk smirked. “I didn’t need his help and honestly, he was flaky. Not much of a tattoo artist, only I was too young and dumb to know it at the time. A drifter, not a successful one, he only kept moving to stop being found out. He’s dead now, but I only found out by accident. Typed his name into a search engine when I was bored one day. Attacked the wrong lone camper one day, turned out he was a hunter, had a gun and was a good shot.” Punk laughed unexpectedly. “The guy who shot him said he’d been aiming at the dog, but you’ll find out soon enough that dogs don’t like us at all. I’m almost sure the dude thought there was a dog because he didn’t believe his own eyes.” 

Drew was too caught up with his thoughts on the situation to think about being careful not to piss Punk off. “Aren’t you sorry at all? He was your alpha after all.”

“No, he wasn’t.” Punk took his hand from Drew’s hair to rest it on his face, making sure that the other was looking at him. “Being alpha – it’s more than changing people, that’s the least important part of it. Take your old friend Cody. You met the guy who changed him. Can you imagine him being pack leader, even for a moment? Too full of second-guessing himself and self-doubt. He’ll never be a true alpha, but he still managed to change someone, just the way that your ex could turn around and change someone tonight and still never be an alpha. I’ve never had an alpha. And the guy may have changed me, but after that he was nothing to me. Why would I be sorry, or glad?”

“I guess there’s no reason,” said Drew, although he was uneasy about the apparent lack of any emotion at all. But Punk spoke the truth, why would he care about someone he barely knew? Drew just felt like there should be something, he himself was so closely tied to the man who had changed him that he didn’t understand the way Punk thought on those lines at all. He decided not to push it; Punk seemed in the mood to indulge him and Drew still had other questions he wanted answered. “Where does your money come from? You said you didn’t like to stay in one place and you don’t work.”

Punk burst out laughing. “Oh wow. I keep forgetting how naive you are.” Drew frowned slightly at this, he didn’t think he was naive at all. Punk took notice of his expression and moved his hand back into Drew’s hair, tousling it playfully. “That’s not an insult. After the company I’ve been keeping, it’s refreshing.” He started combing out Drew’s hair with his fingers, removing the tousles he’d put there. “Money is nothing. It’s just the means to an end. You want something, you swap money for it. If you have none, you get it. No, I don’t have a job and I never have. If I want money, I take it. You’d be amazed at how many people throw their wallets my way just to have me out of their faces. We do what we have to and really Drew, they’re just the meat puppets. They’re nothing. We need something, we just take it from them, directly or indirectly – by taking the money so that at least we don’t have to worry about the retaliation while we sleep.”

“I have a job,” began Drew, slightly uncertainly. “I can earn the money to pay for both of us, if we don’t live beyond our means...”

“Our means? They’re limitless.” Punk wrapped Drew’s hair around his fingers a moment, then continued trying to smooth it out. “You won’t be going back to work. You don’t need to. Things are different now.”

“I like my job!”

“And you never leave it and think, fuck, I’d love to win the lottery and tell them where to shove it?” Punk looked into Drew’s face and chuckled. “Yeah, thought so. As much as people like where they work, they’d rather not work at all. We don’t have to. You and me – we make our own rules.”

Drew had to admit, he liked the sound of that more than the nine to five. It sounded glamorous, romantic, a thousand miles from the domesticity he’d had with Cody. Like an adventure. And even if he hated the sound of it, Punk clearly didn’t and for Punk – well, he’d do whatever it took. “So – what now?”

“Right now?” Punk tilted his head as if thinking about it. “We go shower again. This time, I need to make sure that you look flawless. Then you dress well and I get to take photos of you.”

Drew blinked. He’d had some odd moments with Punk, but this was new. “Uh, what?”

“You have some Twitter, or Myspace, or Look-At-Me-And-Marvel-dot-com, surely.”

“Facebook,” admitted Drew. “I haven’t been on for a while though.” Since events had blown up in his face if he were honest. Which reminded him... “The food in my cafe is gonna be spoiled,” he said ruefully.

“Oh fuck,” snapped Punk, clearly not down with cafe world. “Your mother was visiting and you already said, she got close to Cody. She’s gonna be telling him about me. Cody’s gonna put two and two together and tell Chris. That means they’re gonna be keeping an eye open...” He smiled sweetly. “And what better way to tell the world you’re mine than to have a bunch of pictures on your social page?”

“Punk...” Drew was almost afraid of the answer, but before his change he had been forthright and direct, after his change he still needed to be in the know. He could push Punk right to his limits, one of the reasons Punk was so taken with him, although that was something Drew didn’t realise. “Why do you care?”

Punk considered the question. “It’s always been so much fun messing with Chris’ pack,” he told Drew. “Even way back, when it was Barrett’s pack. I’ve never had the kind of response I had like when Edge wanted to fight Chris, over what I said. I have to entertain myself somehow. It’s a long life.”

“Others might disagree,” said Drew, knowing the argument was lost before it even became an argument. 

“Others have to work, have to make the money and live their pathetic, futile lives.” Punk twirled Drew’s hair around his fingers thoughtfully. “Others don’t have our freedom. We do.” He moved his face close to Drew’s, planted a kiss on his cheek. “Fuck the others. It’s all about us.”

Drew moved as Punk’s lips left his cheek, sitting up against the pillows. “So, we’re taking pictures?”

“Good doggy.” Punk smirked at Drew’s anger, not expressed but clear in his eyes. “Let’s go get some good pictures. I want everyone to know you’re mine – and there’s nothing that can be done about it.”

“I don’t get why you wanna social network,” said Drew as he raised himself from the bed. He didn’t get what Punk was doing. “Who’s gonna care if there’s some pictures of you and me?”

Punk smirked. “Oh, trust me. If I’m right, then this is gonna drive that pack outta their minds. They’ll be looking for me...” He sighed. “And you too. They’ll assume they’re saving you.” He finally took his hands from Drew’s hair and wrapped them around his waist. “I have to do this. So I want you to look your best.”

~:~

Randy knew that things weren’t Ok between himself and John, regardless of the fact that they had reconciled. He knew that the fact that he had been ready, willing and able, to destroy Edge weighed upon his mate (John might have been a soldier but killing in a war situation was very different to killing for the sake of it, or just because you deemed it a necessity and he had always been too moral for his own good) and also, well, Randy’s disobedience and breaking of a promise. He could admit –grudgingly- that he had bitten off more than he could chew and his arrogance had almost cost him severely. The younger man looked across to his lover, John sitting at the cushioned window-seat, once again lacking a shirt and with some gauze on his middle. The wound was steadily but surely healing, though John’s aggravation had slowed the process down somewhat; the fact that he no longer needed such thick and continued dressing giving him some hope that John would recover without any lasting damage. “John…” the silence was making him feel anxious.

From what he could tell from the lightening mood over the household Evan and Chris were making up from their quarrels and past troubles, so that was one good thing, and earlier he had heard what sounded like Cody and Ted making their way towards their own room, kissing and giggling as they murmured softly to each other… all in all everyone in the house save for he and John seemed to be reacquainting themselves with one another… and he wanted to. He wanted to show John that he was truly sorry because he knew he still had a lot of atoning to do. Had the situation been in reverse he was sure he would have been even more demanding and uptight than even John had been that first night.

And, well, since that night, nothing. They shared the same bed, sure, and they bathed and showered together, but it was almost as though it was a perfunctory obligation that John had to fulfil rather than actually wanted to do. Randy wanted their intimacy back. He wanted to take the dark clouds that were hovering over John and get rid of them completely. And, well, he knew that the way Edge had forced his hand about those… intimate, issues, had also knocked John for six. On the one hand he was pissed that he had only come to learn about such things because someone else had guessed them first, but on the other hand he knew that John would have been worried about dumping such things on Randy as he would have been likely to agree just to make John happy, regardless of whether he really wanted it.

The next full moon wasn’t far away and if things were still weird between them when the lunar heat took control then their mating would just be all wrong… and Randy didn’t want that. Only once before had they had such a blow-out that things had been weird during the cycle—and it had been one of the most unfeeling situations that he had ever experienced. He didn’t want that again. It reminded him too much of… the old days, in Barrett’s pack, when he hadn’t cared who he slept with so long as he got his end away. Getting up from where he had been sitting on the edge of his and John’s bed he moved to stand beside his mate, resting a hand on his cheek to guide John to look at him. “If you’re angry just tell me why,” he was so close to pleading but he didn’t care, “Shout at me, make demands of me, but just don’t shut me out baby, please.”

It wasn’t in John’s nature to push everyone away from him; he was a gregarious guy and loved being around people, helping people and just generally doing all he could to make things good for all those around him, and the fact that he was being so introverted meant that John had really been severely shaken by what had gone on recently. Actually, now that he thought about it, John hadn’t been this quiet since the night or two after he had first been changed, and then again when Punk had attacked him—years ago now. John’s eyes flickered slightly in recognition of his mate’s touch before he then tried to look away again. Randy wouldn’t let him, refused to be pushed away, and merely pulled John to stand with him from where he had been sitting. The look of weary expectancy on his mate’s face hurt but he supposed he deserved that; he had often made the mistake of giving the impression that his word didn’t mean much in the past and now, since he had previously broken a promise, it was understandable John looked like that.

“Let’s have a bath.” From the way John’s expression momentarily gave way to surprise Randy knew the other hadn’t been expecting that, and that was good. If he could just prove to John that he was seriously sorry and wanted to make amends then hopefully the other would let him make it better. All of the bathrooms in the house were large, with tubs that could fit two people comfortably at any one time, and also included separate showers that were also big enough for two as well as double sinks. Every bathroom in the house was designed for a couple and even though they all technically had their own bedrooms and bathrooms the rooms that contained en-suites contained en-suites for two. Setting the taps on to fill the bath, Randy then gently batted John’s hands away when his lover reached for the ties to his sweatpants and removed them himself. John was left standing gloriously naked before him and Randy found himself sinking to his knees. Though John’s member was deliciously close to him from this position (and growing just slightly to prove Randy still affected him regardless of how mad he was) Randy merely rested his cheek against John’s stomach.

“I can’t stand you mad at me, John-John.” Randy murmured softly as he wrapped his tattooed arms around John’s trim waist, “I can’t stand it. You’ll smile, but you don’t mean it, and when you fake a smile at me…” he knew he was being overly sentimental, or, in his own mind he was, but his unwillingness to open up emotionally had almost cost him John before they had truly mated and bonded, and he didn’t want to chance it now and become one of that cursed minority whose mates left them through something other than death. “Don’t fake for me, baby. You know you never have to fake for me. If you’re angry at me then just be angry at me… if we can’t work through this we can’t make it better.” John’s hands had been hanging limply at his sides whilst Randy had been speaking, but when he fell quiet the large hands rested on the tattooed shoulders that Randy possessed. “Ortz…”

Hopefulness bloomed in Randy’s chest at the nickname, even though John gently eased him away to tend to the bath and Randy stripped himself down. Once the bath was a decent temperature John then hissed as he pulled the gauze patch from his stomach. The wound was no longer a hole, but the skin was still knitting itself back together and it was still as raw looking around it as the first night. It was sensitive to touch, but not as much as before.

Soon, they were both in the bath, Randy sitting with his back to the tub edge and John lain between his legs, back to his chest. After what felt like an age of silence as they both just basked in the water, John then sighed. “I aren’t mad at you, Randy. Well, alright, I’m still mad that you could be so reckless but the fact that you’re unhurt sort of overrides that… and I’m glad that you needn’t be the one to have killed Edge, but…” he felt sick in himself that he didn’t feel remorse for Edge, even though he had many reasons to hate the man. The fact that he lacked the compassion made John feel that he was no better than the deceased man.

“This has messed our little family up, and it’ll be a long time before it truly becomes better regardless of how it might seem now.” Randy supposed he couldn’t argue with that seeing as how the smallest things seemed to be sparking massive rows between them all at the moment. “I just… I feel like I’ve lost you.” Even though Edge was gone there was a frightening lack of response from Randy. Sure, he would have been pissed as hell to see Randy mourn him, but he had been stunningly unreceptive about the incident. Randy startled slightly when John suddenly let forth a noise of abject frustration, one of his large hands covering his face, “I don’t even know what’s bothering me!” Everything, even though it shouldn’t, and he just had so much building inside of him but everyone else was struggling so he didn’t want to bitch and moan and—John’s thoughts were stopped dead in their tracks as Randy turned his head enough to pull him into a deep kiss that commanded total attention.

~:~

When Drew came out of the shower, freshly washed, Punk was once more lain out on the bed with a jacket over his naked torso, zipped up enough to expose a slither of the man’s inked chest, some loose, old jeans on his lower-half. Standing there rather awkwardly in a towel, his hair loose over his shoulders, Drew then started, “Uh, Punk, what d’ya want me to wear, exactly?” the other had said that he had wanted him to look good and make an effort, but it seemed silly if his lover was going to be underdressed. Punk looked up from the laptop of Drew’s which he had salvaged from one of the bags he had had the other haphazardly pack, “Wear that shirt—the deep blue one. And a tie. And some black dress-pants.” He knew for a fact Drew had all of these items because he had raided his wardrobe not long after defacto moving in. Still feeling unsure, but recognising a command when he heard one, Drew moved across to where the bags of his belongings lay.

Of course it was only the necessities that they had in the hotel room with them since Punk said it would look suspicious if they had all of the bags, so the ones containing other memorabilia from his life were still in their rental car. Punk watched shamelessly as Drew dropped his towel and dried himself off some more before then pulling out some boxers. Soon, as Punk had wished, Drew was clad in his rather dressy outfit and soon had his hair dry and secured back in its usual ponytail.

Rolling onto his side from where he lay on the bed, Punk then motioned with his hand for Drew to turn around. Getting a little red in the cheeks he did as he was told, turning in a slow circle and allowing Punk to peruse and inspect him at his leisure from all angles. “Good.” Punk then moved and adjusted the lighting of their hotel-room so that it would be bright enough to see but would lend a more romantic light to their photos. If he was going to ‘out’ himself and Drew, for want of a better word, he was sure as hell not cutting any corners on it. His own outfit wouldn’t matter of course; Drew was the eye-candy, his eye-candy, and he was going to take delight in showing him off. There was a part of Drew that said he should protest (Punk unnecessarily goading the other pack was probably not the best idea) to being paraded around and used as some sort of mannequin, but again he felt the strange sensation that told him that as long as his alpha wanted him to do it he’d do it.

“Come here.” Punk held a hand out to Drew, pulling the man to the bed. The other had spritzed some sort of light cologne on, but it was a light and understated one which complemented Drew’s natural scent... and the scent of both of them together, of course. Telling Drew to access his account Punk began nibbling at the man’s ear as he did so, well aware that he was probably distracting Drew as he did so. When he had been with Cody he had noticed that he had somewhat sensitive ears, but he hadn’t realised just how sensitive they were until Punk was biting and tugging at the sensitive skin as he took him to heaven and back over, and over, and over, again.

Once the account was accessed Punk pulled the USB that apparently was for connecting Drew’s phone to the laptop, and then plugged that in ready for when they had taken images. Using one hand he wrapped Drew’s tie around it, making the beta gasp as he was tugged in, their lips millimetres apart and Drew’s eyes hooding in that perfect way that Punk had never seen another person emulate as seductively.

Snapping a picture (using the mirror across the room as guidance thanks to their good eyesight) Punk then wasted little time in pressing their lips together before snapping another picture. Breaking the kiss he smirked at the image: Drew’s eyes were closed but his were open, roguishly winking at the camera even as he took control of Drew’s mouth. He had never really noticed how submissive Drew’s gaze was with regards to him until he saw it through the pictures. It was a sweet look, though he had to admit he enjoyed the fire that appeared there now and again when Punk taunted or teased him. One by one more snaps were taken, Punk checking each one afterwards to decide whether he liked it or not as Drew was left to dazedly allow himself to be kissed, caressed, hell, even groped, as their poses changed.

When he was satisfied that they had more than enough pictures (and Drew was left flushed and minus his tie and with his shirt open and belt loose, though no more of him was exposed since Punk would not tolerate the thought of someone using his beta as wank material more-so than they could lust over with what he gave them) Punk then had Drew load them into the laptop. To Drew’s consternation Punk didn’t seem that phased by what they had been doing, merely having that same genial smile on his face that he always did and looking very pleased with what they had done. When the photos had uploaded Punk commanded that Drew make a separate album for them (and also to keep any pictures that he had of himself and Cody from their relationship, if only to piss Ted off because he sure-as-hell wasn’t happy about seeing them) and then to change the profile picture to one of the raunchier pictures; it was amazing how sexy one could make an image where there was little skin actually bared.

“Perfect.” The pictures were on the news-feed thing (and Jesus, how self-absorbed were the meat puppets with their pathetic little problems) and Punk saw that Drew had Cody as a friend. Excellent: that meant that most assuredly the pack would see them as soon as the ravenette next logged in. Suddenly, a message box popped up in the corner of the screen and Punk’s lips curled back into a sneer as Drew’s mother’s name and image appeared on the screen. “Turn it off.” He commanded in a bored tone; he had done what he wanted to do and there was no reason to be on there now. “But, Punk…” Drew knew that this was not the right way to be handling his family—they’d have the police out looking for him soon.

His mother had no doubt noticed that he had left the flat now, and she would soon be freaking out. Knowing her she would have contacted all of their relatives, and then his work, and then Cody… and none of them would be able to give her any information. If the police were soon putting out a search for him then that would sure as hell be awkward to explain. However, Punk didn’t seem worried and he knew better than to try and tell the other that he wasn’t reacting quite right about a situation. “But nothing,” Punk’s eyes narrowed and Drew swallowed hard, resisting the urge to quail back in on himself and lower his head in submission. With a few clicks he had logged off and the laptop was shut down.

Punk took the laptop from him and placed it aside, also taking his phone and turning it off before setting that aside too. The TV was still playing silently in the background and Drew only realised that his alpha was moving back to him again when he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror. When hands pulled the shirt from his body he turned, about to ask Punk what he was doing now, when the man’s teeth sunk into his bottom lip. Reflexively Drew whimpered, even though the wound wasn’t deep and was only bleeding a little, trying to rear back. He was shivering slightly as Punk’s tongue lapped at the cut that he had just made, bearing the Scotsman back onto the bed. Drew’s attention was focused on something other than him and Punk was not impressed with it even if the focal point of said attention was Drew’s own mother.

“You don’t need to worry about them.” Drew was completely taken in by the almost hypnotic eyes his alpha possessed, staring into them and rarely blinking as the low, softly crooned words penetrated his brains—and, yes, he meant brains as in plural: the one downstairs as well as up. “You only need me. I’ll take care of everything when it gets down to it, but you only need to worry about me. To you, I am all that matters. Understand me, Drew?”

Almost as though he was watching the scene from an outsider’s perspective Drew slowly nodded and Punk’s smile turned something akin to victorious, his hand wrapping around Drew’s erected shaft through the two layers of clothing he wore and squeezing enough to make Drew groan and cant his hips, before the clothing was pulled away and tossed aside without care. “Good boy.” The sentiment pissed him off, he knew it did, but at the same time he couldn’t help but feel a strange tingly sensation at the compliment regardless of how patronising it was. Drew’s mother, meanwhile, back in the home she shared with her husband, was becoming borderline hysterical by their son’s behaviour; Drew had never done anything even remotely like this before, and both parents felt that this stranger by the name of Punk had to be the reason for his drastic behavioural changes.

~.~.~

Dawn was breaking over the horizon by the time Wade and Justin made it back to their flat, Wade having fallen asleep in the passenger side seat as Justin drove the car with most of his attention not admittedly on the act itself as opposed to the man on the seat beside him. He knew that Wade had been in pain but the stubborn fool had refused to admit it, and he also knew that he hadn’t been intending to fall asleep. Sleep helped their healing process though so Justin wasn’t protesting. Something was off with Wade though. The situation that night had had a bigger effect upon his alpha than the other wanted to admit. And how did he know this other than the fact that he had always seemed to know Wade better than he knew anyone else? Because the man had been crying in his sleep. Yes, you saw that right.

Of course, when Justin parked out front of their flat and woke Wade up the other was mortified even through his grogginess and Justin preserved as much of Wade’s dignity as possible by pretending not to have noticed the tears, or noticed the way that the other was palming them away hastily as Justin pretended to be attempting to locate the keys to the flat in his pocket. Exiting the car with his lover, Justin once again placed himself there as a support to the other as well as reassuring himself that Wade was alright.

When they were inside Wade immediately moved to the bed, propping himself up against the headboard as he lay out. Justin moved and found a tray, placing that on the side for after he had microwaved the take-out food that they had gotten on their way back to warm it up. Wade watched through hooded eyes as Justin moved around; the other had always had domestic tendencies but he had never really noticed how much the majority of those seemed in conjunction to his benefit and pleasure until they had begun living alone together. “Don’t go to sleep yet, Wade.” Justin chided gently as he brought their food and drinks to the bed, Wade pushing himself into a firmer sitting position in response.

“You need to eat.” Justin added on and Wade nodded his head to his beta, reaching for the burger and fries. Thanks to their fantastic metabolism and conditioning they didn’t really need to worry about what they ate, but they tried not to indulge in fatty foods too much, but right then it was exactly what Wade needed. They ate in relative silence and then Justin disposed of their rubbish before going to brush his teeth. Since he had already fallen asleep once before the other Wade refused to do so again without having Justin in his arms as it was the least he could do to offer the other comfort since he had had a rough night in his own right. When Justin entered the bedroom Wade pushed himself from the bed reluctantly and then went into the bathroom to do his own teeth.

When he re-entered the bedroom he was greeted by the delicious sight of Justin’s naked torso as the rest of him was hidden underneath the covers. Atop his lap was his laptop, the glow of the screen illuminating his face in an unnatural bluish light as he focused upon whatever was on the screen before him. “Angel…” Wade started, thinking that the other really should be sleeping since he had been awake all night and had been driving for a good while too, “Go to sleep.” Justin nodded to show that he had heard the other after a moment.

“I will Wade,” he murmured, “Just let me do this.” Justin had always had a strange fascination for social networking sites and Wade knew it’d be pointless to try and stop him before he had done what he wanted to do. “Do whatever you want to do and then go to sleep.” Wade murmured; Justin placing the laptop to the side of him so that he could lie on his side when he sensed that Wade wanted to hold him… not that he was averse to being held. Wade grunted softly at the lack of acknowledgement from the other but he was too tired to hold onto it for long. Justin answered a few friend requests on his Facebook (he didn’t do much on it, just the odd game and chat with random people when the mood struck him, or uploading photos) before he then recognised a name that had flashed up: Drew McIntyre. The first name rang a bell even if the second didn’t and warily he clicked the button to accept. Almost as soon as he had accepted the man his news feed was flooded with messages from Drew about having uploaded new photos, or changing his profile picture, and Justin frowned softly when he noticed someone was in the picture with Drew. Curiously, he clicked on it.

At first the image didn’t register with him about who he was looking at, but when he did he gasped, eyes widening: Punk. And, even in the picture, Justin could tell that Drew McIntyre was… different. The meat puppets noticed the unusual air around them, honed in on the attraction as much as they could, but they couldn’t truly see what it was. They could recognise their own kind even through photos if they had met the person before… and there was no way one could mistake the calculating eyes of Punk. Justin was so stunned by the sight before him, so confused, that he hadn’t taken much notice of the fact that his battery was low, and just as he had been about to wake Wade (to make sure that the other could see this and that he wasn’t hallucinating through tiredness or something) when the screen went black. The laptop had died.

Oh, hell. Justin his lip slightly as he placed the laptop down on the floor besides the bed and moved himself back into the strong circle of Wade’s arms some more. He knew why he was so concerned about this; he had never known of Punk changing someone before, though he had had a lot of chances, apparently, and the fact that he had now, and who he had changed, well… it screamed of something not-quite-right. As he listened to Wade’s deep breathing, felt the steady rhythm of the other’s heart beating against his back, Justin knew that he had a decision to make. Well, alright, he had two decisions to make: did he tell Wade about what he saw, and did he tell Chris and his pack about what he had seen? And, he dithered for several reasons.

The main reason he had was that things seemed to be finally calming down for them, and he and Wade could just begin to settle down together, and also, well, he didn’t want to make a mountain out of a molehill and have everyone all stressed out and panicking over something that might not even be a problem; for all he knew Punk might actually have been jolted into wanting to settle down himself and have a mate, or a pack. There was a part of him that scoffed at this reasoning even as the other half desperately tried to cling to the excuse. Eventually, though his mind was full, he fell into a tormented sleep after deciding he was going to keep mum about what he’d seen.

Wade awoke sometime after lunch, the back of Justin’s head being the first thing that he saw. Smiling softly Wade then nuzzled the back of the smaller man’s neck; he didn’t intend to wake him per se, but he knew he had some making up to do for leaving Justin with Evan last night. “Angel…” The smaller man’s head turned towards him, eyes opening a fraction. Wade’s playful smile dropped when he noticed the tiredness and slight shadows underneath Justin’s eyes. “Angel, are you Ok?” immediately his panic senses went on alert and Justin quirked a tired smile, “Mornin’ Wade.” He turned so that his body was now pressed into Wade’s, face resting in the crook of the other’s neck, “M’Ok… why?” Wade gently made Justin move back enough to see his face, “You look tired… did you stay up on that bloody computer?” Justin quirked a strained laugh, but then shook his head, “No, no I didn’t… I’m just hungry.” Wade, ever the gentleman, offered to make breakfast and Justin groaned with relief when Wade went into the kitchen and he was left on his own momentarily; that had been close.

~~~

Wade considered things as he cracked a couple of eggs into the pan, knowing that their kind reacted to protein best and what were egg whites if not that? Although he hadn’t really cooked before, that had been down to members of the pack who weren’t leader... and that thought left a sour taste in his mouth. He had people jumping to his every word, but was so stymied that he couldn’t manage to make breakfast? He had no desire to gather a pack now, he just wanted to have Justin and make a go of things as normal people would. He had no idea if that would change in the future, but he knew that if he really did ever feel the urge, then he would learn some lessons from the pack that Edge had chosen for him.

As he waited for the eggs to cook, sorting out some bacon and sausages – full English, he adored them, even if this was his first attempt at making one – he considered the Hardy brothers. Were they okay? They said they were going back to the fields of North Carolina where they’d been picked up from but Wade wondered even so. They had been pretty much wild when the pack had found them and had never really gotten the hang of civilisation, except for Jeff and his dye. Affectionately Wade chuckled, silently wished them well and went back to trying to work out when everything was cooked. Not that undercooked food would hurt them, but he wanted it to at least taste nice. Belatedly, he wondered how one made fried bread – they’d just have to do without it this time. He knew there was more to it than the name suggested, but he didn’t have a clue. He would do though. He and Justin were going to live a nice simple life and never have to worry about a single thing. 

Wade leant against the counter a moment and closed his eyes. He had no idea how to live a simple life. He knew that people woke, talked to their spouses, went to work, came home and went to the cinema or bowling or whatever they called fun, but that sounded terribly dull to him and didn’t take into account that they spent too much time on four legs. If he wanted money from the meat puppets, he took it. If he wanted entertainment, he made it. He was dolefully aware that things might not be as simple as they sounded.

But he had to try.

Sighing, he piled the food onto two plates and brought them through. Justin had seemed on tenterhooks since they had woken that morning, but Wade put that down to what he’d done to Edge. Justin would be with him though – he always was. He put the plate in front of the man with a smile, wondering if this was what it was like to have a mate. He really didn’t see what the downside of it was. Even if Edge had always said—

But Edge was dead. Wade still swore that if he swallowed, he could taste the man’s blood in his throat. 

He handed Justin a plate, sitting beside the other on the bed. Justin gave the meal a slightly odd look but dug in. Wade wondered if he hadn’t quite gotten the hang of this cooking business – maybe he should check out those programmes that were always on the TV, about how to cook food? He was hungry, he usually was, but he leaned over to kiss Justin on the back of the neck before turning his attention to one of the sausages. It was pink inside and he frowned, that wasn’t right surely. “Did you stay up all night chatting to someone in Toronto?” he asked casually, wondering if the eggs would be any better.

Justin hesitated minutely. “Um, my battery died before I could do much of anything,” he admitted. 

Wade picked up on something in his voice, the evasiveness and too-casual response. It made him wonder. He was not much of one for social networking but Justin had always been the kind of person who would add anyone, from the shopkeeper who sold him his water to the friend or a friend of a friend who liked the same song he did. Wade sometimes came across as not getting it, but he knew how these things worked and how people could reach through the computer and grab you by the throat. He wondered if one of Chris’ pack had done just that – his money would have been on the ravenette that was the newest member and would have been their first pick for taking and upsetting Chris. “Did something happen while I slept Angel?”

“No,” returned Justin, too quickly. Wade put his meal aside – perhaps they ought to call out, because it was barely edible – and moved his hand to instead run through Justin’s hair. Justin had the kind of thick, dark hair that most girls would die for, but it seemed to annoy Justin that he could only hope it didn’t stick up too badly in the morning. 

“There’s something you’re not telling me,” he said, more confident in this than he had been with breakfast because this was the area he knew – when he needed to deal with the pack, even if now that was only Justin. “What is it?”

“It’s—“Justin tried to spear the bacon, which shattered. “Nothing, really. Just – nothing.”

“It worries you,” returned Wade. He might not have been much good as pack leader, but damned if he was going to let Justin be upset over something. 

“It’s nothing, really.” Justin glanced at Wade and knew instinctively that the other would never let it go. “Well, last night after you went to sleep, I went on facebook – it’s one of those networking sites where you can see what everyone’s up to—“

“I know what it is,” said Wade irritably.

“Right.” Justin licked his lips, recalling that Wade actually had his own facebook – mostly unused since it had been something Justin had made one day, while Wade looked over his shoulder and asked questions. That had been a good day with the old pack. For the most part though, Wade could give a crap about the internet. “I was on there last night and I had a friend request from some guy called Drew McIntyre.” He glanced at Wade, noting the man didn’t seem any the wiser. “When we were stalking Chris, we were gonna go after Cody. He wasn’t with his mate, he was with some guy named...”

“Drew.” Wade took the plate from Justin’s hands. “You don’t have to eat that if you don’t want to. I think I need lessons. Keep going, what did this Drew want?”

“It’s not bad for a first try,” said Justin, leaning back into Wade. “I friended him and there were a bunch of pictures. Of him, with his new boyfriend. Punk.”

Wade’s eyes widened – if he was apathetic about the internet, Punk loathed it, thinking it was just another way for the meat puppets to con themselves into thinking they weren’t alone. And that wasn’t even the primary issue. “Punk changed – that’s where he went then, after. Oh.”

Justin glanced up at Wade. “Are you mad?”

“Why would I be?” asked Wade. “But I need to tell Chris about this. It might affect them too.”

Justin pouted, his face creasing into a frown before the words burst out. “I don’t see why our lives have to revolve around helping them! I wanna forget they exist!”

“It’s just a phonecall,” Wade reminded him, smoothing out Justin’s hair. “And we owe them.”

“I hate that we owe them!” Justin balled his hands into fists. “Last night – oh fuck.”

“Wait.” Wade moved so that he could better look into Justin’s face, eyes sharp and searching. “What about last night?”

Justin let out a sigh that was more like a sob. “Evan came down. He talked to me. I had to tell him why I did what I did... oh Wade!” He threw himself into the others arms and although Wade was caught off guard, he barely moved, wrapping his arms around the smaller man. “I hate myself. I can’t tell you how much! I want to take it back, I’d do anything, anything, to take it back.”

“Angel—“

“Don’t call me that! I’m no Angel, I don’t deserve it...”

Wade could feel Justin’s tears against his chest and he pressed his lips together a moment, wishing he could do something so that Justin could take it back. That one thing was ripping the other apart and Wade hated to see it. “Angel,” he said quietly. “You’re my Angel and I dragged you down with me. My Angel. My Angel.” 

Justin pulled back and looked into Wade’s face. “Wade—“

“I love you,” Wade told him, not having meant to have said so but meaning it. “I love you so much Angel. I know you and I never believed in such things, but you are—“He gave a high, helpless laugh at what he was about to say, not because it was funny but because it wasn’t like him to articulate anything he really thought. Having emotion was weak, he knew that and still couldn’t hold it back. “You and I are mates, Angel,” he whispered, the sheer magnitude of what he was saying frightening him. “And I love you. I’m so, so sorry that I dealt with everything so badly. Every bad thing, that’s down to me. I know you owe me nothing, but I swear that we will try to make up for it all. Or I will. We’ll claw our lives back somehow Angel, I swear it.”

Justin closed his eyes and for a moment, Wade thought that he’d said the wrong thing. And then those eyes flew open, Justin all but pouncing on him, kissing him fiercely. “I love you too Wade, I always loved you, it was only ever you...”

“Angel—“Wade gave up trying to think coherently as Justin’s lips started kissing over his neck. “I promise you, it’s just you and me from now on. I love you Angel.”

“Wade.” Justin moved so that he was straddling Wade’s hips, his expression serious. “I’ve always been in love with you. My whole life. And you want to us to be mates...” His voice broke a little. “I want that. I want you. I love you back, I just don’t see why you want me...”

Wade reached up, pulled Justin close and showed him just how much he loved the other.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Seven: Why Do Women Do That?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade makes a call to Chris to offer some information alongside an attempt to make amends for what he and his mislead pack had done, leading to Chris' pack needing to do some social media research. Meanwhile John and Randy take the first of some very important steps...

Randy kissed John like the world was coming to an end and that was the only memory the other would have of him. Then just as suddenly, he pulled away. “John...” his voice was hoarse. “Do you know why I don’t mourn Edge?”

John’s eyes were sharp, as if trying to catch him in a lie, but Randy disregarded that. If John was to believe him, then he had to tell the whole truth. “Once upon a time, Edge and I were so close, I thought we might be mates.” He laughed, without humour. “It wasn’t like I am now and now I can see the difference. But then, I had no frame of reference to go with.” 

He caressed John’s torso beneath the water. “I – oh fuck, it’s like talking about someone else. That person is not me anymore, y’know?”

“I know.” John moved so he could look into Randy’s face. “I know. Tell me.”

“Edge was – he was so...” Randy swallowed so he could keep going. “He was so the shit. I couldn’t believe he’d notice me. That he’d want me, even though I was a virgin...” He sensed John’s growl and kissed his mates jaw. “Now, I get why it was different and why Chris kept pulling me aside to say no. But back then...” He shrugged helplessly. “Things were different.”

“You loved him.”

“No! Or I thought I did. It doesn’t make much sense to describe it after.” He ran his had over John’s hip. “I love you. You’re just – everything. I never knew that it could be this strong.”

Randy leaned back against the bath. “I just didn’t know. A long time ago, him and me used to be – like playful and frolicky. Bunch of shit.”

Randy reached up, his hand resting against the back of John’s neck. “I love you,” he said quietly. “Does this even matter?”

“It matters,” replied John quietly. “Why don’t you care?”

“I CARE!” Randy leaned his head against John’s chest, hoping his mate understood him. “He tried to kill you John. I love you. Everything, since I met you, has been about you. He was someone else then than he was when we did that, do you get it? I would have killed him for you. You’re everything to me...” Randy’s voice broke. “I love you. And I’m gonna make sure you get it.”

~~~

Wade honestly couldn’t remember feeling so contented and, well, good, in a long time. Justin was laid against his chest, asleep as far as he could assume what with his eyes being closed and his breathing even. A smile curved his lips softly, seeming much more relaxed than he had been earlier on when he had been in the midst of another guilt-fuelled break-down. Reaching for the phone on the bedside table Wade tapped in the number that he had now memorised for the other pack. It rang three times before it was answered and Wade was amazed that Chris didn’t just put the phone down on him when he realised who it was. “Chris, I’m sorry to bother y’again, but I’ve got something to tell you that I think you’ll be interested in knowing.”

Chris (who was currently laid in his own bed with Evan after their third round) arched a brow slightly at the voice on the other end of the phone; even though Wade wasn’t part of his pack, or indeed someone that he had had much contact with, he could tell that something had happened to the other man. There was now lightness in his tone that hadn’t been there last time they had talked to one another. “Wade?” he felt a strange, minor sense of concern from the sound of the other’s voice but then shrugged it away; he was much too relaxed and sated to get concerned about things. “What is it?” Evan’s eyes looked up at him from where the other was laid against his side and Chris kneaded the back of his mate’s neck gently. He didn’t want their step forward to be ruined because of the fact that he was talking to Wade and Wade was the one who was closely connected to Evan’s ex-tormentor.

“Was Cody’s ex-boyfriend named Drew?” Immediately Chris had a feeling he knew where this was going, but decided to play along lest something new came to light other than what Cody had told Chris before about his suspicions, “Yes, he was… why?” he was quiet as Wade explained how the man had friended Justin on the social networking site Facebook the night before, and how there had been pictures of Punk (“Yes, that evil wanker,”) on the site with Drew—and Drew had listed the man as his boyfriend on the profile he had on the site.

“Well... it seems that Cody was right.” Chris murmured, more to himself than Wade but Wade heard it, however, he made no comment other than, “I thought you should know… Justin was a bit worried and I agreed that it would be prolific to let you all know.” Chris couldn’t hold his question back any longer, he had to ask, “Wade, have you and Justin mated?” he recognised the protective tone as the one that was continually underlying the voices of his pack, and his mate, and also his own voice he was sure.

For several long moments there was such silence on the other end of the phone that Chris thought for a moment that the other man had put the phone down on him; when Wade eventually did respond though there was a shy gruffness to his words, “Yes. Yes we have.” Chris felt Evan push himself somewhat closer to him, the other no doubt having had his curiosity peaked by the words even though Chris was duly aware that Evan probably hated Justin with everything he had. Well, actually, hate was probably not the right word; Evan was not a vicious or negative person, he was probably hurt more-so than anything from having been tricked and then harmed in such a way.

“Congratulations.” There was a ‘flump!’ sound of the other end of the line and Chris found himself grinning slightly in amusement as he realised that Wade had just dropped the phone—it was apparent that he hadn’t been expecting that. Vaguely, Chris could hear Wade’s voice, softer than when he had been speaking to him, obviously addressing Justin, “It’s nothing, Angel, you go back to sleep for a bit.” There was a barely intelligible mumbled response and then Wade’s voice sounded clearer on the line once more, clearly surprised, “W-Well thank you.” Clearing his throat softly on the other end Wade then rubbed a hand through his hair before letting it return to caressing Justin’s exposed back.

“How… How did you know?” Wade was more curious than angry because there was no way he could be ashamed of the way he and Justin felt for one another; they no longer had people there who would scoff at their feelings for the other. “Alpha intuition.” Chris responded glibly and Wade chuckled lowly on the other end of the line before then turning serious. “Well, the Punk thing was the main reason why I called you, but… there’s something else as well.” Chris’ ears gave the proverbial twitch of intrigue and expectancy. “What is it?”

When the words next sounded in his ear it was almost as though Wade was speaking a foreign language for how awkward and uncertain the words sounded. “I’m sorry.” This time it was Chris who almost dropped the phone and he swore Evan almost fell off of the bed in his own shock, close enough to him to hear the words down the phone. Wade’s voice was gruff, obviously expecting a rebuff and not expecting to be believed, but he had promised Justin and he would do this regardless.

“I know that words won’t make it better and that you, your mate and your pack will probably hate us for the rest of your natural existence but that’s fine… I just need you to know that I’m sorry for being led astray like I was, and for causing all the damage that I did. I’m apologising because I know it’s the right thing to do, but also… because I promised my mate,” the words were so wonderfully new and exotic and strange and Wade felt a tingle in his stomach from saying them, “—that things would be Ok. I promised we could make amends and start again. Justin… Justin’s sorry too, you know. I know he tried to tell your mate this—“Chris’ eyes went to Evan, but Evan was looking down at his arm, fingers tracing shapes on it.

“—but he didn’t believe him, and well, like I said don’t believe us all you like but we’d just like to make our position known.” Wade’s words were a mix of formal and informal, tone and language changing so often that Chris didn’t doubt for a moment that he was being serious. And, from how rambling and staggered he was being on occasion Chris was willing to bet his prized guitar that Wade had probably never apologised to anyone before in his life. “I see.” Chris didn’t know what else to say but he knew that Wade had got that. “Well, thank you for telling us about Punk and for…” he trailed off.

He could almost imagine the brisk nod that Wade surely gave at his words. “No worries. Well, uh, I’d better be off. Goodbye, Chris.” Returning the goodbye Chris heard the dial-tone ringing in his ear before he too disconnected the call. Looking to Evan once more he found his mate was sitting up this time, a strange expression on his face; he looked torn between scoffing and upset. “Puppy?” momentarily he pushed his exchange with Wade from his mind and reached a hand to tip his mate’s chin up so that the man looked at him. “What is it?” the emotions dancing in Evan’s eyes gave away that he was currently torn.

“He told me he was jealous of Wade’s interest in me.” Chris’ brows rose; he had been aware that Evan had broken his own request and gone down to see Justin, and that they had talked, but the other hadn’t given him any indication as to what they had talked about and he had just let that matter go since at the time he had had a lot on his own mind to focus on rather than something that was admittedly rather trivial.

“He told me… that I was so pure compared to him—“Chris knew that those words would have struck a chord with Evan since purity had plagued his mate for so long because of his own past, “—and that…” Evan hated Justin, he really did, but he hated to admit that the explanation he had been provided with had also brought forth some empathy towards the other, “—that if he could just make me less pure then Wade wouldn’t be interested in me instead.” Such territorial insecurity was a prime sign of someone who was close to their mate but prevented from having them for some reason and Chris knew that those two had wasted a lot of time due to the brainwashing they had been subjected to. Taking a breath, Chris drew his mate into his arms. “It’s Ok, Puppy.” He soothed the other gently, the Punk news momentarily being placed on a back-burner.

Meanwhile, back in Wade and Justin’s flat, Justin was staring at his mate with wide eyes. “You… You apologised.” He had never once heard Wade apologise to anyone, in a sincere manner, other than himself since childhood. “I did.” Wade reached, fingers tracing the marking that he had left on Justin’s neck, a sense of possessive pride welling in him at the thought of the beautiful creature before him now truly only belonging to him. “I promised you that we would make it better, didn’t I? Besides, the fact that they know is enough—we’ll probably never see any of them again.” He gently drew Justin closer, the other ending up straddling his waist as Wade looked deep into his eyes. “I’ll make it better, Angel. I promise.”

~:~

The vulnerability in his mate’s eyes immediately made John feel bad for pressing the issue and he hastened to reassure the other that he needn’t explain himself if he didn’t want to. However, he didn’t get the chance to.

Randy’s mouth was hard and desperate and John clutched at his mate’s upper-arms in an attempt to keep himself grounded against the sudden onslaught of passion. It was only when a saltiness interrupted the pleasure of Randy’s usual taste that John forced himself to focus and pushed the other back enough so that he could look at his mate—and he saw that Randy actually had tears on his cheeks. There weren’t a lot of them, but more than enough—Randy never cried. Randy never, ever cried. John felt his heart freeze.

“Randy—“his mate shushed him as he suddenly placed a hand over his other as the other moved underneath the water, John giving a muffled sound as Randy’s finger breached his entrance. The water provided some lubricant and Randy was glad because he didn’t want to hurt the other, but John just had to see. “He tried to kill you,” it appeared that Randy wasn’t even aware of the tears of his face, voice wavering lightly but continuing resolutely, “-he tried to take my life from me, and that I can’t possibly forgive: past or no past.”

Three fingers were soon working in and out of John’s entrance and John was helpless but to give his mate what he seemed to so desperately need right then. “I can’t be without you. Don’t you understand?” Randy removed his hand from his mate’s mouth, taking a hold of both of his thighs and wrapping them around his waist, the thick head of his cock at John’s entrance, “I’m nothing without you. Anything, or anyone, who tries to harm you, regardless of how little and how much, makes a life-long enemy in me.” On that note he pressed his lips to John’s, swallowing the cry of painful pleasure his mate gave as he sank into the welcoming body balls-deep. He needed this; he needed John, now more than ever. He needed the other to tell him it was Ok, that he could make it better.

~:~

John made a quiet, satisfied sound as he began to move over Randy – his mate seemed so vulnerable at that moment and John wanted to do anything he could to make that better. It occurred to him that had Randy actually been the one to kill Edge, as had been the plan, Randy would have been irrevocably changed. Although Randy said he would have killed Edge without a second thought, John knew that it would have preyed on his mind for a long time afterwards. Maybe even forever. And maybe it was selfish of him to be glad that Wade had that on his conscience instead of Randy, but he didn’t care. When it came to Randy, he was undeniably selfish. 

Randy’s hands were on his ass, supporting him and stroking over his skin. Moaning helplessly, John leaned in to kiss his mate, his own hands wrapping around Randy’s neck and his movements speeding up as Randy hit his sweet spot – it had always been good between them and this was no exception. Randy returned the kiss with something verging on desperation; John could empathise with that though. As Randy had said, Edge had come very close to taking John’s life and John recalled that same neediness from when Punk had come close to killing him. It had been that which persuaded John that Randy was deadly serious about wanting to be his mate and it hadn’t been guilt over being forced to change John that had prompted him into making such claims.

“I need you.” Randy’s voice was low and rough, his lips brushing against John’s as he spoke, hands ghosting over John’s skin. “I can’t live without you.”

John’s reply was cut off as Randy’s hand wrapped around his cock, eliciting a cry from him instead. “Oh god Randy!” He leaned his head back, not dropping Randy’s gaze as he did. “I love you and I’m not going anywhere~” He let out another loud, wordless cry as Randy’s thumb slid over the tip of his cock, the action being the only thing he needed to shove him into climax. Randy joined him only seconds later, John’s name on his lips as he released deep inside his mate.

Not wanting to be separated from Randy too soon, John leant forward and rested his forehead against Randy’s, breathing heavily. “Everything will work out baby,” he said, still fighting for breath but wanting Randy to know just how serious he was. “Everything will be okay. I promise.”

~:~

“Just look at this shit,” said Chris sounding both amused and slightly disgusted. “I don’t have a goddamn social network page and yet, there’s at least twenty hits for my name – all pretending they’re me. Look at this one! According to this, I’m married to some girl I never even heard of and living in Colorado. And we have sextuplets.”

Evan growled slightly, not liking anyone else trying to lay claim on his mate even if it was a crazed delusion. “Bitch probably made the page herself.”

“Oh Puppy,” said Chris, slightly amused by his mates uncharacteristic language. “No need to be jealous – she’s probably fat and forty and you know I’ve only got eyes for you.”

“Humph,” said Evan, refusing to be mollified, although there was a small tug at his lips that suggested he might be about to smile. “Can we just check this guy out, so that we can go back to bed?”

“Sure thing Puppy,” said Chris cheerfully, glancing over at Cody who was watching him work at the computer, Ted right next to him. Cody seemed to be having a hard time meeting his eyes, something else Chris found amusing. “Can I log on as you? What’s your password?”

“Theodore,” murmured Cody, which gained a rather smug grin from Ted. Chris typed it in, a little faster than Randy’s painful attempts but nowhere near as speedily as Cody and Evan could type. Not that he was computer illiterate, far from it, but he preferred to write his songs in longhand. “I got you,” he said after a moment. “Huh, you haven’t been on here in a while, have you? You’re still listed as in a relationship with Drew.”

“It might be a good idea to change that,” said Cody hurriedly, the smile that Ted had been wearing completely wiped off. 

“Already have done,” said Chris casually, as if he didn’t have to ask permission and technically, Cody supposed that as the pack leader, he didn’t. “Got our Teddy’s name on there now. Let’s see these pictures.”

He went quiet for a moment as he went onto Drew’s page, a frown crossing his face. “He should still be bruised. I gave him a hell of a smack and there’s not even a trace of it. Humans don’t heal that fast.”

“That means he’s been turned,” said Evan. “We do heal up that fast.”

“And with Punk.” Chris leaned back in the chair. “That’s bad news. Really bad, for Drew at least. I wonder why he went there particularly.”

“Needed someone to lash out at,” suggested Ted.

“Maybe he fell in love,” said Cody, only to be met with three identical, disbelieving looks. “What? Stranger things have happened. And Drew’s not a bad guy y’know.”

“He will be after spending time around Punk,” said Chris dryly.

Cody shrugged. “Maybe Drew’ll be a good influence on him.”

“Somehow, I doubt it.” Chris tapped on the screen, drawing attention to the background Drew and Punk were in front of – and was it his imagination or was Drew very dressed up while Punk was his usual scruffbag self? “Were these taken at your old place?”

Cody checked the picture, weirdly unaffected at seeing his ex with another man. “No. I don’t know where it is, but that’s not our bedroom – they’re sitting on a bed though. Mrs McIntyre said they were gone. They must have taken them after they left.”

“And now they’re in the wind.” Chris made an annoyed sound. “Shit. I don’t even know if we should interfere in this one. Drew doesn’t look like he’s there against his will. Hell, he looks happy. Weird. Unless Punk’s still on my turf, then there’s not a whole lot we can do.”

“Nothing?” Cody didn’t look pleased. 

“Punk isn’t one of our pack and doesn’t answer to me. Neither does Drew. They’re both consenting adults. And we don’t even know where they are.”

Cody bit his lip, thinking things over. “Can I send him a message?”

“A message?” Chris glanced at Ted, who seemed slightly put out by the request but wasn’t protesting. Chris supposed that Cody felt in some indirect way, Drew’s current predicament was his fault. After all, had Cody not been a werewolf then Wade’s pack would have had no interest in Drew at all. “I don’t see why not. He’s not online right now though.”

“That’s okay – I don’t know if I want to talk to him direct anyway.” Chris moved so that Cody could sit, staring at the screen a moment then rapidly typing out a message. I’m worried about you Drew – Punk’s bad news in ways you don’t know about. Let me know that you’re okay and if you need any help to get out of this, we can help.

“You think he’ll answer?” asked Chris, checking out some of the messages that had been added to the pictures. Most people seemed slightly confused to see Drew with someone else, someone so clearly unlike Cody. They seemed to see Punk as a step down and Chris had to agree. 

“No idea,” said Cody. “We didn’t exactly part on good terms after all. But I had to try something. I feel sorta responsible.”

“You didn’t introduce him to Drew, or get him involved in any of this.” Ted rested a hand on Cody’s shoulder. “Even if this is a bit harsh for what he did, it’s still not down to you.”

“Yeah, I know.” Cody looked at the screen, his ex draped over a too-smug Punk. “I just keep thinking – to be like us, that was what he wanted. But I don’t think he’s gonna like this situation at all, in the end. If Punk’s half the psycho you guys told us he was, I don’t know how Drew’s gonna handle that.”

~:~

And Randy believed him. John always struggled to lie to him, hell, he struggled to convincingly lie to anyone who meant something to him because he was one of the most honest men Randy had ever met. “I don’t want to move.” Randy murmured softly, still inside of John though his softening cock was in danger of slipping out. “I know baby,” John murmured softly, “But the water’s getting cold.” Randy quirked a small smile at his mate’s deliberate topic choice and the pair quickly washed one another off before getting out of the tub. Another gauze patch was placed over John’s stomach when they had dried off, a precaution now more than a necessity.

Looking at John as his mate adjusted the sports jersey that he had thrown as well as some sweat-pants (why dress up when they weren’t going anywhere? Comfort before beauty and all that—not that John didn’t ever look beautiful to Randy) Randy felt such a strong surge of love that he was almost brought to his knees. He had been in lust with the man since the first time he’d seen him, knew that he wanted him, but it wasn’t until he had claimed John that he took stock of how much he meant to him. And now that he had almost lost the other, realised how insecure both of them really were with regards to one another, how vulnerable they made one another, Randy really, truly, appreciated the man who was his mate.

“I want to have a child with you.” The words rang out crystal clear in the bedroom even though Randy hadn’t said them especially loudly, and John slowly turned on the spot to level a stunned look to his mate. “What did you say, Rand?” Randy moved forward to take both of John’s hands in his own and looked into the expressive baby-blues that he lost himself in all the time. “I want to have a child with you.” Randy repeated, “I want you happy, because that makes me happy, and if a baby is what you want—then I won’t say no.” John paused, trying to force away the overwhelming initial response of joy that Randy would no doubt sense.

“Don’t just say such a thing if it’s to make me happy,” John pleaded softly; he wanted it to be something both of them wanted. Randy pressed his lips to John’s softly, giving his mate’s hands a squeeze, “I’m not.” His words were serious, “I’m saying it for both of us. It’ll make both of us happy.” He wouldn’t deny he was a little scared at the prospect but he meant every word he had just said none-the-less.

~:~

“Well,” Chris sighed as he stretched his body out and rolled his shoulders (Evan’s eyes greedily drawn to the muscles there as they moved with the motions) looking to the three men assembled with him. “Since they are technically outside of my jurisdiction unless they actually do something we’ll just have to monitor the situation.” It was weird, undeniably so, but he didn’t see Punk as the type to try anything so deliberately against them; unlike the situation with Wade and Edge there was no bad blood to spur a vendetta—Punk was just a knobhead.

“If you say so.” Cody was obviously wary and Chris understood that; although Cody may not have loved Drew in the way in which he loved Ted he obviously had feelings for him otherwise he would never have been with the man in the first place, and he had already stated previously that he felt responsible. “You’ve done all you can do, Cody,” Chris soothed the young man, unaware of Evan leaning into his ear somewhat, preparing to whisper to him, “You needn’t feel guilty—“he then fell silent as Evan’s breath tickled his sensitive earlobe, the smaller man murmuring something that garnered interest from his ‘second brain’, as it were, almost immediately.

It seemed Evan was still feeling unhappy about the prospect of people claiming to be married to, and have children with, his mate, and so he was determined to make his own presence known. What Evan wanted from him was something Chris hadn’t even given up when he had been part of the old promiscuous goings-on of Barrett’s pack; Evan was the only man who had ever topped him, or who would ever top him. “Excuse us, boys.” Evan said sweetly, Cody and Ted watching amusedly as he all but dragged Chris out of the room.

Sighing softly Cody clicked a few keys on the keyboard and hastily sifted through the junk that had accumulated on his Facebook—almost jumping ten feet in the air though when a mouth suddenly attached itself to the sensitive spot on his neck. “Unh—Teddy!” Cody gasped, his hands clutching around the laptop reflexively when he almost knocked it off of his lap, though he was quick to loosen his grip lest he break the machinery in half… laptops weren’t cheap even for someone with as good an income as him and he had broken quite a few in his time—most notably when he had first been transformed and didn’t know his own strength.

“Finish up what you’re doing, baby-boy,” Ted admonished as he removed his mouth from Cody’s flesh long enough to talk before then beginning to such and nip at the same spot once more. Ok, maybe he was feeling somewhat territorial from the way Cody kept looking at Drew’s pictures with that sweetly compassionate look on his face and he wanted to give Cody a small reminder as to whom he loved and who loved him… and of who Cody belonged to. Cody groaned softly, biting his lip but obediently trying to focus.

In the end he almost ended up launching the laptop across the room because of what Ted was doing to him, but he managed to finish off what he wanted to do and then even shut the laptop down properly before he set the item onto the floor safely and then growled softly and pushed Ted down onto the couch, straddling the other. Ted sent him a deliciously roguish grin that looked even wickeder on his innocent face and reached up to touch the mark he had left on Cody’s neck, less permanent then the little scar no-one took much notice of apart from he and others of their kind.

As their lips pressed together Ted’s hands cupped Cody’s backside through his jeans, thinking that making out with his love in the communal living-room gave him a strange feeling almost like a teen that was sneaking a quick moment with their lover behind their parents’ back. Their kissing was interrupted momentarily by obnoxiously loud throat-clearing. Breaking apart from one another the two younger men blushed but then rolled their eyes as they took in the sight of John and Randy by the door. “Can we help you guys?” Cody asked tartly.

Holding in the cheeky retort of, “Yeah—invite us to join in!” that he wanted to say since he didn’t want to accidentally upset John as feelings were so sensitive at the moment, Randy then shook his head and said, “Nah; we were just gonna go out and get something to eat and wondered if you wanted anything.” They had passed Chris and Evan in the hallway upstairs and asked them, getting what they wanted. Surprised, the two nodded and gave their orders when they found out where John and Randy were planning on going—somewhere with good old-fashioned junk-food.

Although a break from cooking and a decadent evening would be good for all of them, Randy and John had another agenda which spurred their decision to offer to go out and fetch food (and dessert) for their group; they were going to stop by the local parent-hood clinic and get some information of adoption, foster-care and surrogacy. The third option was somewhat sketchy to them though because neither of them had a woman friend (or even a well-known acquaintance) who they trusted enough to do such a thing and a stranger just wouldn’t cut it.

~:~

Randy was wondering if they had cut it too late to go to the clinic – he had some vague idea that they had odd opening times and appointments only – but the place was still open. A glance at the opening times on the door told him that it wouldn’t be for much longer but that was okay, they were only after some advice after all. And it was odd enough to see two men entering such a place anyway. He felt somewhat exposed, like an interloper, as the two of them walked in.

There was a woman behind the reception desk, who looked up from her magazine with friendly, if somewhat tired eyes. Clearly she had been hoping to escape on time and saw them as being a barrier to that. “Can I help you? Um, but you are aware this isn’t a sexual health clinic.”

“We know,” said John dryly, before Randy could lose his temper at the suggested slight.

“Sorry. It’s just that we don’t get many men without their partners in here.”

“This is my partner,” John expanded. “We were looking into um. Parenthood. And this seemed like as good a place as any to start asking questions.”

“I see.” The woman opened her mouth to make a joke about genetics not making that too easy, took a look at Randy’s face and had second thoughts. “Well, for men in your position, it’s not as easy as putting your name on a list and waiting. Are you married?”

“No,” said Randy.

“That might go against you. Do you live together?” When John nodded, she reached for her computer and started typing. “To be honest, I’m not an expert in this field – we tend to deal with things regarding conception and birth, or putting mothers in touch with adoption agencies because they can’t keep a child themselves. You both seem the ideal age and I imagine you’re financially solvent?”

“We can afford to raise a child,” said Randy quickly. 

“The trouble is of course that waiting lists are huge. There are less people than ever giving children up for adoption, it’s not like it was even twenty years ago. It could take a long time, if you ever manage to be accepted. Most adoption agencies will run checks on you, want to visit and make sure that you’re acceptable parents. I won’t lie to you. Gay couples adopting isn’t the taboo it once was, but you’re still facing an uphill struggle.”

John looked depressed by this – Randy was pretty sure that although John had known intellectually that it wasn’t likely to be easy, he had been hoping against hope. “What other options do we have?”

“You can foster, good foster homes are sought after. Of course that has its own problems. You’re unlikely to get a small child, more likely an adolescent and usually with some emotional problem from being separated from their parent. And they rarely stay with you for more than a few months, so it’s an emotional wrench when they’re taken from you. But it’s much easier to become a foster parent than an adoptive one, not to mention that it looks good when it comes to future adoptions. Or you can try a surrogate mother, the problems there being that you don’t know much about the woman you’ll end up dealing with or what her own agenda for offering herself that way would be. Then again, from what I understand the child would be genetically one of yours.” She flushed a little at the information, something Randy found oddly amusing considering she worked in a parenting clinic and probably had to deal with sex issues all day. Although unlikely to be talking them over with a couple of gay men. 

“Here.” The woman reached to the side of the desk, pulled out a sheath of printouts. “I’ve got you some contact numbers, places to go for further information. Um, and this leaflet here – well, it’s really more for the mothers thinking of giving a child up for adoption, but there’s some numbers on there that’ll at least give you some idea of the right places to start looking.”

“Thanks,” said John, taking the papers she gave him and managing a charming, if somewhat subdued version of his usual smile. 

“Good luck,” she said brightly. “Parenting’s a challenge, but it’s so rewarding. You know, my first child weighed almost eleven pounds? I was in labour for three days and I spent most of it screaming abuse at my husband. In the end, they had to use a forceps – it’s a little like a giant set of tweezers? Well, they put it up there and yanked him out that way. I needed nine stitches and I couldn’t use the toilet without crying for a week. But it was worth it.”

Randy and John stared at her with identical looks of horror, completely at a loss as to what to say to that. “Um, thanks for these,” John managed in the end, taking Randy’s hand and pulling him out of the door. As soon as they were out of sight, he shuddered. “Why do women always do that?”

“Talk about blood and shit and being split open?” Randy grimaced. “I think it’s to make us feel left out, or like they did all the hard work or something. Ugh. Even if you sprouted a set of ovaries, I’d still wait in the hallway.”

“Who said I’d be the one growing the ovaries?” John nudged him playfully, then sighed. “This isn’t gonna be easy, is it? I was kinda hoping she’d pull a newborn from under the desk and say, ‘here you go, I hope you’ve got a carseat’.”

“Probably just as well she didn’t. We don’t have a carseat.” Randy squeezed John’s hand. “Hell, we knew it wouldn’t be that simple. And this is only the first step we made, right?”

“Yeah.” John frowned as he got into the car. “Y’know, we haven’t even talked about what we’re gonna do when we get a child. If we do. One of us might have to stay home, or use daycare – unless they’re older. Or we might end up with a baby. Do you know what to do with a baby? I don’t.”

“An agency’ll probably make us take classes, it’ll all come together.” Randy shoved the keys into the ignition. “If we had a baby, we’d have to name it. I vote Randy Junior.”

John gave him an amused look. “And what if it’s a girl?”

“Randetta,” replied Randy promptly and burst out laughing. 

“You’ve got a fucked-up sense of humour,” John told him with a grin. “No daughter of mine is going through life saddled with Randetta, so forget it Mister Orton.”

“Spoilsport,” said Randy comfortably. “How about Keitha?”

“That’s worse!” John bit back a smile. “Johnelle.” 

“And you said my ideas were bad.” Randy drove them in the direction of the take-out, still joking around with John but also thinking things over. Because they were mates, he never really thought about the marriage thing – it was more of a human convention. But if it would help them get where they wanted, then maybe he should consider proposing – and he wasn’t just doing it because of the potential baby anyway. Just because they hadn’t considered it before didn’t mean that he wouldn’t do so in a heartbeat. 

~:~

By the time they got back with the food, Ted and Cody had moved from the couch (although John would have bet his left testicle that they’d only done so to ensure they weren’t interrupted at the crucial moment) and there was still no sign of Chris and Evan having come down yet. Rolling his eyes a little, John took the food into the kitchen and started sorting it out, leaving Randy to make them both a drink – no way was he calling anyone down when he had a good idea what they were in the middle of. Thanks to their enhanced senses and their unembarrassed natures, it wasn’t as if they got as much privacy as they probably needed anyway.

He was more or less done when Chris wandered into the room, freshly showered but still smelling of his mate. “Hey,” he said casually, heading for his food with a great deal of interest. They needed to eat all the time anyway and sex only made that need increase. 

“You’re not eating that upstairs are you?” Randy smirked. “I only ask because if you and Evan go at it once more today, I don’t think your old heart can take it.”

“Oh, funneee.” Chris gave Randy an affectionate cuff to the side of his head. “Evan’ll be joining us shortly. Can’t say the same for Ted and Cody. No idea how long they’ll be.”

“They were being a little uh, affectionate earlier,” said John with a chuckle. “Kids. To be young again.”

“Knock it off John, you’re acting like you’re almost Chris’ age and you must only be half that—“Randy ducked the smack to his head this time. 

“You’re cruising for a bruising, you know that Orton?” Chris took the plate with his food on and glanced up as Evan walked into the room. “Hi Puppy, dinner is served.”

“Great, I’m starving.” Evan ducked around John, leaning a hand on the man’s shoulder as he reached for his own plate. John chuckled. It was a lot like things had been before all the trouble with the other pack. Perhaps they were due for some peace and relaxation, for a change.

“I think I’m gonna put on a film tonight,” said Chris, still standing with the plate in one hand, using the other to eat. Well, no one had ever said they were polite eaters. 

“Because you need the rest, right Gramps?” 

“I swear Orton, you’re gonna get my fist in your face in roughly five seconds—“

“You’re just jealous you could never have Chris’ stamina,” said Evan with a sweet smile. Randy immediately started protesting this, much to Evan’s amusement. John leant back and laughed at both of them. This was the most relaxed he’d felt since they’d been called to the manor urgently and hopefully, a sign that things would be okay. And he was fine now, his stomach was healing up and he was getting slightly homesick for his own space. Much as he loved the company of their extended family, perhaps it was time to get back to his real life.


	29. Chapter Twenty-Eight: You Only Want Me For My Lattes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pack goes their separate ways once more, and Randy runs into someone from his past who offers a startling proposition.

“Where did you two get off to?” Chris asked, having noticed the oddly subdued air from John even though the man didn’t seem especially upset or anything. John looked to his mate slightly out of the corner as his eye and then looked to their alpha and pack brothers. “Nowhere… the queue in the takeaway was surprisingly big so the food took some time, that’s all.” Almost immediately he knew that no-one really believed him.

Randy wasn’t sure whether he wanted to say anything about the whole ‘baby’ situation yet being that he and John had barely had chance to talk about it amongst them. Sure, all of their friends would be supportive like mad once they knew he was sure, but that wasn’t the point. John added on the pointer that they would probably be heading home soon as well since his stomach was healing up well.

That was news to Randy but he tried his hardest not to make it seem so. He wasn’t sure whether it’d be a good idea for John to return to work yet; the job did put some stress on him even though the kids were young and for the part well-behaved, but if they were actually going to go through with this adoption thing then it would probably be hard for John to be around the children and their parents… or maybe he was just being overprotective and underestimating how emotionally strong his mate was. As they were all about halfway through their food Ted and Cody came into the kitchen, dressed and freshly showered, Cody giggling slightly and leaning into Ted, Ted’s arm around his waist.

Randy arched a brow at the sight of the bruise on Cody’s throat, “Damn Ted, were you trying to eat the boy or something?” Ted grinned and nibbled Cody’s earlobe with enough force to make the other man shiver; he wasn’t usually so demonstrative but he was feeling a little more relaxed about PDA’s than he usually was. “Well, he does taste good.” Ted winked, releasing Cody only so that the other could go and get his food—their earlier activities had brought on quite the appetite. Chris shook his head wanly; youth couldn’t be faulted for such an action because even he liked to mark Evan up like that sometimes.

“We’re gonna miss you both.” Evan said, though deep down he had to admit he couldn’t wait until it was just he and Chris alone in the house once more; it felt like an age since the last time he and his mate had been alone together. “We’ll see you nearer the end of the month though, right?” John nodded his head at the other and thought that it was quite lucky that the next cycle fell later than the last; hopefully he would have fully healed then because he didn’t know what a change would do to his stomach if it was still unhealed. “You make it sound like we’re moving away for good.” Randy said, reaching and mussing Evan’s hair. Evan whined, swatting at Randy’s large hands. “Let me alone!” he huffed, pouting his bottom lip out in a manner that had Randy grinning in amusement; sometimes Evan looked like a child.

Before too long everyone was quiet as they filled their bellies with the decent portions of food, rubbish thrown away afterwards before John then told Evan there was ice-cream in the fridge and he and Cody descended upon it. Spoons were doled out and then everyone went into the living-room. “What film shall we put on?” Chris asked everyone.

“Something light.” Evan supplied and Chris nodded immediately before then addressing everyone, “Any suggestions?” Opening the DVD cupboard everyone had a look in before they all managed to settle on one. Some cushions were pushed to the floor and little nests were made. Ted and Chris were sat on the couch behind their mates (who had settled on the little nest of pillows) whereas Randy pulled John onto one of the other couches with him. Three tubs of ice-cream were split between the pairs, everyone soon settled.

“You feeling Ok baby?” he murmured softly into John’s ear, watching as John spooned another mini-mound of ice-cream into his mouth. He knew that John was feeling a little off because although the man loved him some sweet decadences (and no, he wasn’t talking about anything Randy-related) he usually avoided them because he still had a ‘training-mind-set’ when it came to his diet so the fact that he was eating something like ice-cream meant that he was in need of some comfort.

He felt John nod just above his head from where he was laid on his side, head resting on his mate’s chest and occasionally eating some ice-cream himself. It was very occasional though because Randy really didn’t have that much of a sweet-tooth on him. “Yeah,” he returned quietly, ensuring to keep his voice down so that he didn’t disturb any of their friends, “I’m fine.” Randy wished there was more than he could do to help make this process easier for John, because even though he knew this would be a big change in his own life John was admittedly the forefront point of consideration. They fell silent, watching the film, laughter and occasional comments sounding from all of them.

They got through about three films before they decided it was time enough for them all to start heading off for bed. Depending on what time they woke up John knew he and Randy would probably get an early start home—he’d get in touch with the school and tell them he’d be back soon. He knew he hadn’t been off too long by their standards, but by human standards everyone would assume that he’d been very ill...

Chris watched as Randy and John moved across to their room, Cody and Ted not far behind them, and then looked to Evan; the pair of them were both still sitting on the couch, Evan finishing off the last of the ice-cream in the tub that he and Cody had been sharing. “Do you think something’s gone on?” Evan gently pulled the spoon from his mouth with a small ‘pop!’ and Chris was momentarily distracted by the sight of an ice-cream smudge on Evan’s lip, “I think we’re all just having some adjustment issues at the moment.” He supplied soothingly, “It’s nothing to worry about I’m sure.”

~:~

It was mid-morning the next day when Randy and John left, the others all being awake by this time so that they could say goodbye to the pair. Cody and Ted both figured that they should head back home themselves—and yes, Ted was rather thrilled about the prospect that Cody was going to be moving in with him. Chris congratulated them both on the step (even though he knew that the romantic in Ted would probably be a little bummed about the way the situation had come about) and Ted thanked him. “It might actually make me want to be home a little more now.” Ted confessed softly to his alpha as Cody helped Evan tidy up.

As the second car pulled out of their drive Chris found himself just looking out to the manor grounds, taking a few quiet moments to himself. So much had gone on in their lives recently that it seemed weird to think that they needed to sleep with the proverbial one eye open, waiting for some sort of attack. Punk had always been a dick, but he’d never actively pick a fight with anyone that wasn’t a human—he’d never take any chances where he wasn’t assured a win, and no doubt the almost catastrophic allegiance with Edge and Wade’s old ‘pack’ had given him a big dose of reality. The fact that he had made himself a beta was probably just Punk’s way of reiterating himself back on top as a winner or something; he’d never pretended to understand Punk’s sense of logic or thought process.

“Chris—“Evan’s voice sounded behind him and Chris turned around from the window, cocking his head. In Evan’s hand was a leaflet and Chris’ brow furrowed, “Puppy, what’s that?” Evan held the item out to him and Chris nearly fell over in surprise when he saw the word “Adoption” emblazoned across the front of it. He felt momentarily overwhelmed, eyes going to his mate, “E-Evvy, baby, you know I love kids and all but—“Evan looked confused a minute before giggling and shaking his head, “Chris, that’s not mine!” Now it was Chris’ turn to look confused, “Then whose is it?”

“I found it in John and Randy’s room when I was tidying it out this morning.” Evan always went through the bedrooms when everyone had left (usually after the cycle) to clean up and get the sheets into the wash so that they were fresh for the next time everyone came back. “I had no idea that they wanted to…” everyone knew that raising a family was nigh-on an impossible consideration for a werewolf unless their partner was a human since then the responsibility could be passed safely onto them the time of the moon coming around—that was how Barrett had managed when it came to his son after all.

Chris took the pamphlet, turning it over in his hands and skimming the words written there without taking them in. He knew pretty much what adoption entailed after all – you took in some kid whose parents couldn’t take care of them. There wasn’t much more to it than that. The thought of John and Randy looking into it though was disturbing in several ways. Not least because they were going to have a lot of explaining to do when the child noticed the two men went around on four legs for several days of the month. Still, it would explain why John had been in that quiet, contemplative mood that day.

“Wonder how serious they are about this?” he said out loud. “They’d could wait forever going through the system here. Maybe I could get them one for Christmas...”

“Chris.” Evan covered his eyes a moment, not sure if Chris was serious or not. With him being a rather reclusive man since meeting Evan, not to mention able to buy pretty much anything he could ever even think of wanting and spending a lot of his own time as a wolf rather than human, he could sometimes lose sight of the morals and behaviours of human society. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Stick to gift certificates and festive socks.” 

Chris frowned at the leaflet again. “I think they’ve lost it. Really. Can’t they just get a pet?”

It was Evan’s turn to scowl, sometimes he thought Chris had no idea. “This is completely different! Anyway, pets don’t like us and you know it. They want to be parents, is that such a bad thing?”

“Calm down Puppy.” Chris gave him an amused look. “If that’s what they want – I guess it’s up to them. They should have told me though.”

“Some things aren’t about the pack,” Evan reminded him. “Anyway, it looks from this like they’ve not really gotten that far with things. They’re probably still thinking about it. And you’ve got that look in your eye. You are NOT buying them a black market baby!”

“I wasn’t thinking about that!” Chris looked rather hurt. “Although I heard a lot of people get babies from foreign countries...”

“Chris, I know you mean well, but I really think you should leave this one to them and offer some help if they ask for it and not before.” Evan raised his eyebrows. “I mean it Chris.”

“Okay, okay.” Chris gave the leaflet back. “I still think they’ve lost it. How are they gonna explain the whole ‘howling at the moon’ part?”

“They’ll manage, if that’s what they really want.” 

Evan looked a bit pensive and Chris had a sudden bad feeling. “You’re not getting broody are you Puppy?”

“Well...” Evan held his expression a moment, then laughed. “Sorry, the look of horror on your face was too good to lose right away.”

“Ev, one of these days I’m gonna strangle you.” Chris wrapped an arm around Evan’s shoulders and chuckled. “I’m way too jealous to share you with a rugrat anyway. Although why do I think that if they actually go through with this, then the kid’ll be the most spoiled individual on the planet?”

“With you around, it probably will be.” Evan smiled up at Chris. “Y’know, the house is always too quiet with everyone gone. But it’s kinda nice to have every room to ourselves without worrying about getting walked in on...”

“I never care who walks in on us,” said Chris with a grin.

“Tell me about it. Cody couldn’t meet my eyes for hours.” Evan flushed a little, but looked slightly amused by the situation. “And you’re deliberately misunderstanding me.”

“Trust me, I’m not.” Chris smirked. “Where were you thinking? Right here on the floor or did you have something else in mind?”

“It’s a nice night,” said Evan wickedly. “And we haven’t christened the courtyard for a while.”

“I like the way you think Puppy,” said Chris, nipping Evan’s ear and guiding them toward the door.

“Someone’s eager.” Evan snickered to himself and grew serious. “I love you Chris. You know that, don’t you?”

“I know,” Chris said, stopping walking long enough to cup Evan’s face. “And you know how much I care about you too right? I couldn’t keep going without you.”

Evan leaned up to kiss Chris softly, thinking of the things he had said during their argument. Although Chris had to know he hadn’t meant them, sometimes it was hard to let those things go and he might have said them in haste and anger, but he was determined that Chris would never believe he meant them. “I know it Chris,” he told the other. “You prove it to me every day.”

~:~

Ted’s house looked almost exactly as Cody remembered it from the first time they were dating – the main difference being that perhaps the garden had become more overgrown and when they walked in, it was clear that it hadn’t been lived in for a while. There were the groceries that Ted had purchased shortly before being ordered to go to Chris’ manor, the frozen stuff being okay, although the milk and bread didn’t look too healthy. Ted sighed a little, giving Cody a rueful look. “Maybe we should have stopped off on the way. Think we can do without them?”

“We’ll go get some later on, it’s not late.” Cody checked the fridge and grabbed a can of lemonade. “After I’ve dragged some of my things in from the car...” He glanced at the floor a moment. “Uh, you’re really sure you want me here, right?”

“Hey, I wouldn’t want you anywhere else.” Ted moved closer to Cody, resting a hand on his arm. “This is your home too now and if you wanna move stuff around or change things or whatever, feel free to. I want you to feel at home here too.”

Cody chuckled slightly at Ted’s earnest expression. “I’m sure I will Teddy, don’t worry about it. Although the bedroom’s too plain, I was thinking of us getting something a bit more colourful – maybe something with a pink and mint theme?” He laughed at the way Ted tried to disguise his distaste for the idea. “I’m joking Teddy! The day I start painting things pink is the day you can chop off my balls and call me Katie.”

“I knew you were joking,” said Ted, slightly unconvincingly – and at that moment Cody’s phone started ringing. Ted raised his eyebrows. “That’d better not be Chris again already.”

“Um...” Cody checked the display. “Nah, it’s just someone I know, I don’t think you’ve ever met her.” He answered the phone mid-ring. “Hey Laura. I’m kinda in the middle of something, can we—“Ted chuckled as the voice on the line cut him off. “Um, yeah, Drew and I split. No, I’m fine. Really. Yes, really. No, not crying into my cornflakes.” He blinked a couple of times. “No, I’m not suicidal either. Really, I’m just fine, I promise. Drew and I just weren’t meant to be together is all.”

He sighed, leaning against the counter and checking the emotional weather on Ted’s face. He seemed stoic, if slightly irritated. “Yeah, I know he’s seeing someone – he’s not answering the phone?”

“Smart man,” murmured Ted in a low voice.

Cody smirked at him. “He’s probably busy or something then, he’ll be back on the scene soon enough. I’m really in the middle of something here, can I call you back?”

“I’ll pay you money not to call her back,” ted told him.

Cody rolled his eyes affectionately. “Yeah, see you,” he said down the phone and hung up. “She’s okay really, just fishing for gossip.”

“Yeah, and I get the feeling she won’t be the last.” Ted glanced at Cody’s phone a moment. “Did Drew ever get back to you by the way?”

“Not unless he did it while we were travelling back.” Cody hesitated. “And I don’t think he will. The pictures are probably just to mess with us, if Drew’s hanging over his shoulder he won’t be able to talk back anyway.” He shrugged. “But hell, at least he knows he can if he needs to, right?”

“I guess that’s the best we can do.” Ted pushed the thought of Drew and Punk from his mind and grinned at Cody. “Let’s get your stuff in here. The sooner it’s in, the sooner it’ll be like you’re staying. And the better I feel.”

~~~

Pulling into their drive was a small mercy and Randy sighed gently as he killed the engine. A softly murmured, “Home sweet home,” sounded from John and Randy squeezed his lover’s knee lightly. They took their cases inside (what they had bothered to bring back at least) and got those things sorted out before Randy padded into the kitchen. They had gone on a mini-shopping spree before they had left but the necessities had already run out in that small time. “I’ll make a run to the shops.” John looked up from where he was filling the kettle with water, “We need milk and stuff,” Randy added on at the other’s puzzled look. The elder man nodded his head and then offered, “I’ll come with if you want.”

Waving his lover’s offer off Randy shook his head, “You need rest.” Just because John’s recovery was going well didn’t mean that he should risk it by overexerting himself—especially not if he planned on returning to work very soon. John’s brow furrowed somewhat, preparing to argue, but when then he told himself to calm down; there was no need to be picking fights over stupid things when they had just gotten over some pretty big issues and all. “Alright.” He conceded as he returned his attention to the kettle and making them both coffee. “I’ll send a few emails into work whilst you’re out then—we can decide what to have for dinner when you get back, OK?”

“Alright baby.” Randy nodded his head, pecking John on his lips lightly as he made sure that he had his wallet in his pocket ready for heading out. Upon finishing his cup of coffee Randy called out a goodbye to John as he pulled his shoes on by the front door and then he opened it and headed out. Sighing softly when the door closed behind his mate, John finished his own drink and then rinsed both mugs before checking what food they had in the way of their cupboard stuff and freezer stuff. Hm, they had some steaks that needed to be eaten before the next day… those would do. No way was he seeing good steak go to waste. They had some good potatoes that were a good way from their sell-by date so they could have steak with mashed potato with some vegetables.

As he was checking through the cupboards and freezer John saw that they had no gravy granules or Yorkshire Puddings—and John could not have mashed potatoes without Yorkshire Puddings. No, seriously, he was actually obsessed with it; it drove Randy crazy when they went out somewhere for dinner and they didn’t give the Puddings with the meal, ‘cause then John would actually pay extra for it. Pulling his phone from his pocket the brunette then text his lover and asked if he could pick up the other bits they needed whilst he was out.

Randy received the text just as he was going through the doors to the shop, easily dodging around some harassed looking mother (and, damn, wasn’t he noticing anyone who had children with them more than he had ever done before, when he had only paid attention so he could avoid them?) dragging two children with her as she balanced some bags on the crooks of both of her arms. Admiring her balance and steadfast determination momentarily –he would never have kept his cool like that- Randy then double-checked the message as he grabbed a basket, preparing to get what it was that his lover had asked for.

The shop didn’t take that long since he knew the local store rather well and so he was soon carrying a bag out of the shop—and this time he was focused on sending John a message back that he hadn’t realised someone was walking towards him. The person bumped into him and in a quick movement that he hoped no-one had been watching too closely he had his phone in his other hand and his free hand shot out and caught the person with enough firmness to keep them upright but not enough force to hurt them. “Sorry—“he started distractedly before his eyes widened as he realised who he was looking at. The woman’s familiar big ochre-coloured eyes showed equal surprise as he managed, “Sam?”

~:~

“Wade?” Justin paused from where he had been heading into the living-room area from the kitchen and paused as he caught sight of Wade on the laptop. Although Wade was far from technologically illiterate he wasn’t a big fan of the machines (especially when Justin was paying more attention to them than him) and so it was surprising to see him on one of his own volition. “What are you doing?” he had been about to ask the other whether lasagne would be alright for dinner when the sight of Wade with the computer had distracted him.

And, unless the lighting of the room was totally messing with him, a hint of redness had bloomed over the bigger man’s cheeks at the questions, the Englishman avoiding his eyes somewhat as he mumbled, “Nothing.” Then he cleared his throat softly and casually added, “What was it you wanted, Angel?”

“Oh, uh, I was just going to ask you whether you wanted lasagne or something else.” Wade nodded, “Yeah, sure Angel, that’s fine.” Unlike him Justin was much more adept when it came to culinary abilities so he knew that he was going to be safe and nourished regardless of whatever the other chose to make. The smaller man regarded Wade suspiciously for a moment before then going back into the kitchen; Wade released the breath that he didn’t realise he was holding when he was sure that Justin wouldn’t see what he was looking at. And, regardless of what you might assume, he wasn't looking at porn.

On-screen were several lists of properties that were currently for sale overseas in England. Wade had been serious when he had said about himself and Justin settling down, and now more-so than ever he was thinking that they should cut all ties to their past and start over. They had apologised to Chris, and to Evan, and those were the two he had held actual main transgressions against, so even if the men didn’t completely forgive them their consciences were clean of having not actually even bothered to make some sort of amends. One might see it as running away but Wade was seeing it as their ‘Fresh Start.’

Suddenly, hands covering his eyes from behind made him jump, almost upending the device from his lap before his reflexes kicked in and he grabbed hold of the machine swiftly. “Justin?!” he used one hand to pull the other’s away and turned towards him, pouting—before he stilled when he realised that Justin was reading the screen over his shoulder. “Angel…” he bit his lip slightly, suddenly feeling awkward and oddly shy.

“Wade…” Justin looked puzzled, cocking his head as he bit his own lip in contemplation. “Houses?” and he meant it in the terms of an actual house wherein one stayed there permanently as opposed to living there for a bit and then moving on. Was Wade actually going to shuck their nomadic lifestyle? “A house for us both, Angel…” Wade nodded, swallowing and then clearing his throat gruffly as he said, “If you don’t want to live in England then just tell me where you want to live and I can—“he was cut off when a pair of lips pressed against his own, Justin cupping both of his cheeks as he kissed him passionately. When the other released him –with a yelp about checking what he had been cooking- Wade grinned like a fool, dazedly staring after his little Angel. 

So, the choices he were considering were alright then, yeah?

It was a while since Randy had run into Sam; once upon a time they two of them had dated. To that day, Randy still considered her the only woman he’s been attracted to physically and intellectually – but that didn’t mean they were right for each other. They’d seen each other for several months not long after Edge had been exiled from the pack and Randy had made a conscious decision to look for something more normal in a relationship. It had been fun, but eventually she’d found him too secretive and distant, and that the attention he got thanks to his career drove her to distraction. Randy meanwhile had realised Sam wasn’t what he was looking for after all and they’d parted as friends. They hung out in social situations for a while, but she’d gotten serious with and eventually married someone who regarded Randy with an amount of suspicion, while Randy had met John and they’d moved in separate directions. 

“Hi Randy,” she said with a smile that Randy was suddenly sure wasn’t entirely genuine. “How’s everything going?”

“Oh, uh, the usual.” Randy put his phone in his pocket. “Hey, you look—“He actually took a proper look at Sam and hesitated. “Uh, you look uh, very, uh—“

“Fat?” asked Sam pleasantly, with just a hint of steel in her voice. She was one of the few people who had never minded standing up to Randy and his moods. 

“I was gonna say glowing,” returned Randy.

Sam laughed. “You are so insincere! No you weren’t!”

“Well... I still wasn’t gonna say fat.” Randy shook his head. “Sorry, it’s just that half my life seems to be revolving around babies lately. Long story.”

“You think your life’s revolving around babies. You should try being me for a while.” Sam smiled again but there was something brittle about it. Randy paused a moment. He’d known Sam a long time and she’d always been confident and bubbly, he’d never known her to be quite as artificial as she was being right then. Maybe it was hormones or something. “Hey, you wanna go get a coffee or something?”

“You buying?”

“Story of my life, you only want me for my lattes. Yeah, I’m buying.” Randy glanced down at Samantha’s stomach as he led them to a nearby cafe. “Uh, how many uh, how long?”

“I’m assuming by your vague gestures you’re referring to the baby?” Sam shrugged. “Three more weeks. Can’t wait. People can bang on about the joy of parenthood all they like and it doesn’t change the fact that being pregnant is the most boring thing ever. It wasn’t so bad at first, but now it’s all waiting and doing nothing and it’s driving me crazy. And people seem to feel the need to scare you.”

They sat at a table in the corner and ordered drinks before returning to the conversation. “Yeah, I noticed that as soon as you use the word ‘baby’, complete strangers are really keen to mention every gory detail.” 

“Oh?” Sam raised an eyebrow, smiling a little. “Why would you have been talking to anyone about babies? You panic when a toddler latches on to your ankle.”

Randy went quiet for a moment, wondering if he should say something and abruptly decided there was no reason for him to lie. “Um. Me and John were looking into adopting.”

He would have expected Sam to express some incredulity, possibly to make some teasing comment with no actual malice in it. Instead, she stared. “You’re not serious.”

“Well, yeah actually, we are,” said Randy, rather put out. “Why not? We’re stable, we’re solvent, we’re not gonna do anything stupid. And we’re ready for it – but we only just started out and it’s gonna be much harder than we thought, apparently.” He shrugged. “So like I said, babies on the brain.”

Sam didn’t say anything. Randy let her gather her thoughts for a moment, but when his coffee and her orange juice turned up, he started to be concerned. “Sam? Is something wrong?”

“You have no idea.” Sam shook her head, exhaling loudly and looking up at Randy. “I’ve been working myself into some kind of panic for the last six months, then you drop out of the sky like some kind of answer to all my prayers.”

“Thanks – I think?”

“You might not thank me in a minute. You might not even want to talk to me anymore.” Sam drummed her nails on the side of the glass. “Look, this is awkward, but if I don’t say something then I’m gonna end up regretting it. So shut up and hear me out.”

Randy was sure his face registered complete confusion, but nodded anyway. Sam lowered her voice, as if she expected someone to be listening in. “James and I split up a while back.”

“What? What an asshole! You want me to go beat the shit outta him—“

“Randy, I said shut up and listen. And thank you, but no. I don’t want you to beat the shit outta him, although I appreciate you thinking of me. It was about eleven months ago.” Sam waited for the maths to go through Randy’s head. “Yeah. He moved out, I was upset and insisting I didn’t need him, I was over him and I – I made a mistake, that’s all. Same as a lot of people do. I met some rebound guy, started seeing him because it made me feel better. Like, James was gone but that didn’t mean it was anything to do with me. You know, the usual just-dumped crap.”

She shoved a strand of hair behind her ear. “And then we got back together. The guy I was seeing was a bit of a nomad, a bit strange to be honest but the exact opposite of my husband and that was the whole attraction all along. I got back with James, lost touch with him, figured everything was back to normal. Right up until I found out I was expecting and that the timing was way, way off. James freaked out, just like you can probably expect and my life turned into one of those bad chat shows where some stupid girl embarrasses herself over two guys and her own stupidity.”

“You’re not stupid,” Randy told her gently. “It could happen to anyone. You were just unlucky.” 

Yeah, that’s one way of putting it.” Sam played with her glass a moment. “James was ready to leave again. Definitely would have done if he hadn’t been the one to walk out and he was being kinda hypocritical if he had done. Then again – I suppose he would have had reason. We’ve been trying to work things out, but he says he can’t have a constant reminder of what I did around.”

“The baby,” said Randy slowly, starting to get a glimmering as to where the conversation was heading. 

“He’ll only stay if I put it up for adoption,” Sam said bluntly. “And I said I would, but – I don’t know. I won’t say that I’m having any of those motherly instincts to keep it under any circumstances, because that’s not quite right. But there’s something there and just handing it over to the nurse and never knowing how it’s doing and that it’s being well taken care of... that bugs me. It bothers me. I’ll have no idea if it’s happy, or if it’s being treated right – oh, I know that they do all the checks on the parents and the home, but it’s never going to sit right with me.”

Randy watched her intently, feeling bad for her. She was in a bad position, but she was dealing with it better than some might, although he wasn’t sure he agreed to caving to her husbands demands. On the other hand, if he took off then would she blame the child for that too? Some situations were nothing but second-guesses. “So, you’re thinking about keeping it?”

Sam shook her head slowly. “It’s something else. I don’t think I can keep it, after I’ve decided to have it adopted. But this might give me some peace of mind – and it’d help you out too.”

Randy tried to get over his startlement. “But then, what if you wanted it back? Seeing it all the time?”

“We’re moving.” Sam gave a slightly high laugh. “James is embarrassed. It’s not like I can easily hide the lump and he wants to make a fresh start away from it all. I won’t be hanging around getting broody.” She leaned forward. “I’m suggesting a private adoption. You and John get your baby, I get peace of mind. I know you’ll be good parents, as surreal as it is considering you as a dad.” She pursed her lips. “But I need one thing from you in return.”

“One thing.” Randy wondered if this was about money – but no, he knew Sam. “What is it?”

“James won’t be there,” Sam said. “And when I said people were trying to scare me – they didn’t do a bad job of it. I’m kinda frightened Rand. And I wondered, will you be there with me, when it happens? And that way we could even say you were the father and that would make the whole thing easier when it came to giving you all the rights—“

She saw the conflicted emotions on Randy’s face and backed up. “Look, you’ll have to talk it over with John I know, and this is out of the blue – but you have my number Randy. It’s something to think about.”

“Yeah.” Randy couldn’t quite take it in, everything had happened way too fast for him to really comprehend. Sam rose to leave, telling Randy to call her that night, drink untouched and Randy reached out to cover her hand with his own. “Look Sam, whatever happens and whatever you end up deciding – I’ll be there with you when it happens anyway, okay?”

She smiled. “You’re a good guy Randy. It’s stuff like this that makes me think I had the right idea in the first place. Call me tonight.”


	30. Chapter Twenty-Nine: Rabies Or Babies?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John and Randy have a serious conversation about Sam-- and then some not-so-serious conversations with the pack.

By the time he arrived home John was well into cooking and actually starting to get a little concerned; it didn’t take this long for Randy to shop usually, unless they were shopping together because then the other insisted on picking things (like whipped cream) which were most certainly not on the list they made at home before leaving to shop. Hearing the front door open John put the items that were cooking onto a lower heat to simmer before heading out into the front hallway, “Rand, where were you?” he didn’t mean to sound whiney but the other taking more time than usual had made him feel somewhat unnerved. He paused however when he saw how dazed Randy looked. “Randy? Randy?” he reached to touch his mate and the man jumped, blinking slowly as though registering for the first time that someone was standing before him.

“John?” John’s brows rose as he bit back the sarcastic comment of ‘well who did you expect it to be?’ as he took in the other’s weird behaviour. The shopping that he had requested, as well as what they needed, was held without even the slightest bit of strain in one of Randy’s hands, his keys dangling loosely from the other. “Randy, what the—“he was cut off from his question as Randy handed him the shopping bags, voice distracted, “Traffic was bad.”

Ok, now John was seriously beginning to get concerned about the other’s behaviour. Momentarily knowing that he needed to tend to their dinner and get the newest things cooking otherwise everything would be ruined John let Randy retreat into the living-room before then following him once everything was sorted out. Randy was sitting in his arm-chair, hands folded in his lap and just looking down at them. “Randy, what the fuck is going on?” John didn’t mean to be brusque but it happened when he was nervous and right then he was very nervous indeed.

Slowly, Randy lifted his head up from where he had been looking at his hands and said slowly, “After dinner you and I need to have a chat, John-John.” John felt his throat closing up for reasons he didn’t understand and Randy held a hand out to him, “It’s not bad, I promise.” Sensing the unspoken wish of his mate John slowly moved forward and seated himself on Randy’s lap. “But if I tell you before we have something to eat then you’re not going to eat and you know you need to keep your strength up.” John huffed faintly.

“I’m not bedridden anymore.” He pointed out and Randy nodded his head in acquiescence to the words, “I know, but you know what you’re like when you get excited.” John looked confused, “Excited?” he tried unsuccessfully to get more information from Randy, but the other was being stunningly closed-lipped about—whatever it was that he had on his mind. Giving up with a sigh, John went to finish cooking their meal and then dishing it up before calling to Randy. Soon they were seated on their three-seater besides one another, trays balancing their food as their coffee-table supported their drinks. Absently they placed the TV on, watching some old but bearable rerun.

Upon finishing their food Randy led John into the kitchen and helped him washing the dishes before setting them on the drying rack. John was fidgeting as they completed the domestic task, a sure sign that he had been continually focused upon Randy’s earlier comments and that he was working himself up for no reason. Well, alright, maybe not no reason, but he was working himself up something fierce without even knowing what he was working himself up over. When they had everything sorted Randy got them both a fresh beer from the fridge, holding them easily in one hand before then reaching for his mate’s hand with the other to lead him back into the living room.

“Randy, tell me now, what’s going on?” Randy knew that he didn’t have much choice but to tell John now; Sam had made him promise to call her that night with their answer and it wasn’t as though three weeks left them with a lot of time to get stuff sorted, did it? Randy took a deep drink from his beer (half of it vanishing in that one swig) and then exhaled a sharp breath before murmuring, “At the store I ran into Sam.”

Surprise and mild jealousy showed on John’s face for a moment before he then nodded his head in acceptance, forcing himself to calm down; he knew all about Sam thanks to finding an old photo of her and Randy shortly after he and Randy had first moved in together and although she was a minor threat to him she was nowhere near as threatening to him as Edge had been—for obvious reasons. “How is she?” he had no reason to badmouth the woman, not really, and even then he was too much of a gentleman deep down to be able to talk slanderously about a woman even if she deserved it.

A small chuckle left Randy, still feeling that everything was far too coincidental, “Pregnant, actually.” This time John’s eyebrows almost vanished into his hairline from surprise, eyes so wide Randy feared they were going to shoot out on their stalks the way that cartoon characters’ eyes did. “Pregnant?” Randy nodded his head, then rolled his neck out and said, “Let me say all of this in one, Ok? It’s rather complicated and since I’m barely remembering it myself I’d rather not be interrupted and get muddled up.”

Randy often muddled himself up (it was adorable really) in some fashion when he was recounting a tale if someone queried him too frequently throughout the telling and so John nodded his head before then sitting quietly as Randy explained about Sam’s predicament with her husband, the nomadic lover, and then finally the baby itself. When his mate finished John felt as though he had been hit by something heavy—and looked much like Randy himself had when he had first arrived home. “John, baby?” Randy tried tentatively as silence stretched between them both for many long minutes.

Shaking his head slightly (almost like a dog as it tried to dislodge an annoying fly or something) John then looked at his lover and numbly asked, “So, she wants to give us her baby? She actually wants to give you-“he pointed at Randy, “-and me-“he then pointed at himself, “-a baby?” Ordinarily Randy would probably have been annoyed by having to repeat himself so many times, but given how major and stunning the issue at hand was he was slightly more tolerant than usual about such things.

“Yes,” Randy said softly, arms wrapping around his mate as he finally felt as though the news was sinking in for him thanks to John’s shock this time around. “She wants to make a fresh start with her husband and she said she knows that you and I will be good parents…” Randy then looked sheepish and added on the part that he hadn’t quite mentioned to John about the whole thing, “And, um, well, she, uh—“seeing the look John was sending him over his stammering he then forced the words out.

“Sam wants me to be there when she has the baby,” he said, “And she wants me to sign the birth-certificate as the father; that way you and I can have the rights signed over to us much easier.” John somehow doubted that it would be that simple as he recalled the words that the woman from the clinic had said ‘not being married would count against them’, so even if Randy could get ‘his fatherly rights’ signed over somehow John felt that someone would have a problem with their relationship in conjunction to raising a child.

“I told her I’d be there for her, regardless of what we decided… and that I’d call her tonight to let her know.” John rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. Now he wondered whether hearing the news before he had eaten would have been safer because the butterflies in his stomach right then were making him feel rather sick. Excited, ecstatic even, but sick as a dog all the same. “Is that OK?”

“Well,” John mumbled a little gruffly, “I’m hardly going to make a woman go through birth alone, am I?” he wasn’t going to be that petty over Randy’s past with Sam. Silence descended between them both once more, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, John’s head turned and he pressed his lips softly against Randy’s, “Call Sam and ask her what gender the baby will be—you and I have some serious shopping to do before it gets here.” Despite the anticipation laced anxiety that had settled like a lead ball in his stomach Randy felt his heart flutter at the words, “You serious?” John looked as confused and dazedly happy as he was sure he’d feel later, but the man nodded and murmured, “Yeah… I’m serious.” Randy pecked John on the lips this time, pulling his phone from his pocket, “Shall I call her now?” John nodded, biting his lip, “I guess the tension won’t be doing her any good either—and it’s not too late.” He added the thought after checking the clock on the mantel.

As far as Ted was concerned, it was obscenely early when the phone next to the bed started ringing. He always kept it there, usually on silent, but he had become rather used to leaving it on as an alarm and in case of emergencies while he’d been wandering and hadn’t quite gotten past the habit as yet. Beside him, Cody mumbled something and rolled over, trying to pull the pillows over his head. The sight woke Ted somewhat and made him smile – he was never going to take waking up next to his lover for granted. And sooner or later he was going to have to get back to his own job and start with the early mornings and let Cody get on with his work too, but right then they had a kind of honeymoon period going on. 

Whoever was at the other end of the phone didn’t seem to be respecting their honeymoon period because the ringing didn’t stop. Ted rolled over, checked the ID and growled slightly – Randy and John’s house phone. Answering, Ted pressed the phone to his ear. “I’d say only Randy was inconsiderate enough to wake us up at this time, but no way would he be awake at this time.”

“He’s up,” said John through the line, sounding amused. “And pretty soon you’ll have to be up at this time every morning, so call it getting back in the habit.”

“I call it a pain in the ass,” returned Ted grumpily. 

“Late night was it?”

“Um...” Ted glanced over at Cody’s naked back, trying to suppress his grin and hold on to his grouchiness. “We only saw you yesterday and I don’t normally hear from you one month to the next. What’s going on?”

“Well, since we’ll have at least one more cycle before anything happens I suppose it could have waited, but uh...” John sounded oddly excited and slightly nervous; Ted honestly couldn’t work out what kind of mood he was in at all. “Randy and I are having a baby.”

“WHAT?” Ted reacted before his brain could catch up, sitting bolt upright and scaring the crap out of a still-slumbering Cody, who sat up beside him and stared wide-eyed and worried. Ted met his gaze and then his mind rearranged the words into something slightly more believable. “Oh, you and Randy have rabies. Thank god for that – well, y’know, it’s terrible but still better than what I thought you said. I think Chris has some emergency medicine at the manor for just this kinda thing—“

“It’s not rabies—“

“I told you he’d think it was rabies!” shouted Randy from somewhere in the background.

“Me and Randy are adopting a baby,” repeated John patiently.

Cody tugged anxiously at Ted’s arm. “If they have rabies does that mean we can get rabies, or do you have to get bitten first?”

“You have to get bitten babe, but you might wanna watch out the next time one of the pack has fleas, because that one we all get.” Ted blinked a couple of times. “What the hell? You’re adopting a baby, since when?”

“Since last night,” said John and Ted couldn’t mistake the happiness that was muted in his tone but definitely there. “Won’t be born for a few weeks yet, but then we’ll have a kid all our own!”

“They’re having a baby?” Cody leaned his ear against the phone to better hear what was going on. “Cool!” 

Ted looked sideways at his mate, alarmed, then turned his attention back to the conversation. “And uh, not to rain on your parade or anything but what’re you gonna do when you’re changed and the kid wants feeding?”

“I can hold a bottle with my jaws, it’s not like it’ll be hanging off my teats or anything!” 

“That job is taken,” added Randy’s voice, close to the receiver. 

“Gross!” exclaimed Ted, a slightly wicked smirk coming over his face. “But y’know something else newborns wake up for in the night? When they shit. How’re you taking care of that one without opposable thumbs?”

“I’m not,” chuckled John. “Randy is.”

“Hey!”

“You’re hopeless.” Cody snatched the phone off Ted and spoke into it. “Some people only see problems, right Teddy?” Ted rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue, Cody’s voice bore more affection than scolding. “”I think its gonna be a good thing, if that’s what you really want. What’re you having?”

“We’re uh, not sure,” admitted John. “The mother thought it’d be easier for her if she didn’t know. But we’re not bothered. Randy’s painting the spare room and putting up a cot—“

“Because I’m the daddy and that makes John the mother—“

“Because he looks good shirtless and splattered in paint actually, and because some of us have to work through about a million forms.” John might have sounded long-suffering, but Cody was certain it was put on. 

Cody leaned against the headboard and chatted for a while, asking about names and whether or not they were going to get a party out of this somehow, then decided there had probably been enough talk. “Seriously, congratulations,” he said casually. “I’ll leave you to your forms and Randy to his painting...”

“Yeah, if you leave Randy to the painting it’ll still only be half-done when the kid’s sixteen,” Ted added, loudly enough to be heard down the phone. 

“Tell Ted I’m telling Randy he said that,” returned John. “Speak to you guys later.”

Cody hung up the phone and looked over at Ted. “Shit. Who’d have thought it from those two?”

“I thought they had more sense,” replied Ted. “You won’t catch me babysitting for them, count on that.” He rolled Cody onto his back, chuckling a little at the others yelp. “One near-death experience and they get all broody. Remind me to stay healthy and avoid all this!”

“Aww, I thought you liked kids, Teddy?” Cody’s arms stretched out over his head towards the headboard and Ted admired the smooth, naked body on display for him as his thumbs lightly rubbed up and down on Cody’s protruding hipbones as he settled himself between his mate’s legs. “I like them alright.” Ted conceded with a mild shrug, “But that doesn’t mean I want one of my own…” Cody had cracked on the fact that all he could see was problems and in this instance that was very true indeed; he didn’t see how John and Randy were going to manage around their ‘time of the month’ as it were. Cody felt a stirring in his loins at his love’s touch but didn’t encourage further action to encourage it right then.

“They’ll be good parents—yes, even Randy.” Cody chuckled when he saw the look on the elder man’s face, “But,” his brow furrowed suddenly as a thought occurred to him, “-I wonder whose baby it is… if it was a random stranger’s or something then it would not be a simple case of filling out forms; there’s be a waiting list and then interviews and—“he realised Ted was looking at him strangely and sheepishly admitted, “I had to do a story for work once about black market adoption schemes,” which was where he had picked up a lot of his information.

Momentarily Ted’s expression softened, “That must have been rough…” Cody nodded his head; some of the things he had discovered throughout his research were things he wished he could wipe from his mind completely for they didn’t bear thinking about really. “So… you’re not getting broody on me, right?” There was a touch of nervousness in Ted’s voice and it wasn’t just because he was the type who couldn’t help but focus on the possibilities that could go wrong in a situation, but because he had just gotten Cody back himself and he wasn’t ready to share him with anyone—not even a baby, bad as that might sound.

“I bet you a tenner that Randy gets baby envy at some point during the process, and very soon.” Ted then said as Cody seemed to contemplate his answer with a frighteningly solemn expression before he then chuckled softly and cupped Ted’s cheeks, “No, Teddy, I’m not feeling broody, I swear.” He liked kids all well and good, and knew already that he was going to spoil John and Randy’s baby, but he was sure in his mind that he was nowhere near ready to have a child. And, that was a reassurance that he had even without his little ‘monthly issue’ to factor into the equation. He then drew his relieved lover down into a kiss, the pair dissolving back into ‘Honeymoon Mode’ as John was placing a call through to Chris.

It was Evan’s voice that came through down the line though and he sounded torn between exasperated and amused, “Hi John, what’s up?” John was pleased to hear a bit of Evan’s old natural jauntiness in his tone, “Well, Evvy, is Chris there, ‘cause, um, me and Randy have some news—“he bit down on his lip as he focused on the form before him for a moment before then realising Evan was speaking, “Oh, trust me, he’s here…” the tone made John arch a brow before then shaking it off. “Well—Randy and I are going to have a baby.” Once more the sentence brought a smile to his face.

Evan’s reaction was much more positive when contrasting it to Ted’s, however, he then sheepishly confessed, “Um, actually, we’re already kinda looking at baby things—“John’s jaw nearly unhinged as he sputtered out, “What? Are- Are you and Chris--?” Evan burst into laughter down the phone when John’s question registered, shaking his head even though the other couldn’t see, “Oh, God no!” Evan managed through laughter and John momentarily pouted, “It wasn’t that funny, Evvy,” he reprimanded lightly, feeling he’d missed something.

“S-Sorry,” Evan composed himself, watching as Chris brought up yet another expensive baby store online, “I’m going to unplug the internet from the mains in a bit.” He threatened, and then turned his attention back to John, “I found an adoption leaflet when I was tidying your room,” he said apologetically and John made a sound of understanding before Randy then piped up, “So you immediately started looking at baby stuff? Jumping the gun a bit there aren’t you?”

“From the looks of things, no.” Chris called, giving Evan a pleading look when the other threatened to turn the laptop off. “Chris wanted to actually buy you a baby—“in the background Randy could be heard giving a fake squeal of, “Oh, Chris, you shouldn’t have!” and John balled up a scrap piece of paper and threw it at him, “Thanks, but, uh, yeah, we have one.” He then laughed as Evan said Chris had already bookmarked loads of accessories for the little tyke that he wanted to lavish upon it. Evan rolled his eyes fondly before giving an exasperated sigh.

“Chris wants to know what gender—“he reported and then turned his attention to Chris, “The mother doesn’t know so they don’t know, it’ll be a surprise.” Evan then laughed as he told John, “Chris’ bitching that now he’ll have to go for creams and yellows since he can’t be gender specific. Look, if you need anything like, right away and you’ll be too busy to get it let us know and we can help out. Have you told Ted and Cody? Ok, Ok, right—“Evan rounded off the conversation with John, “Well call us when it happens, Ok? Bye guys—“Chris called a goodbye too before the call was disconnected and John shook his head bemusedly, “Chris is taking his role as grandfather serious already.” They both shared a laugh at Chris’ reaction to being called a grandfather.

“Does that make Evan the grandma?” Randy asked innocently and John snorted.


	31. Chapter Thirty: It All Works Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The big day, the first day of the rest of their 'new' lives, finally arrives... And everyone's excited.

Thanks to their previous unscheduled summons to the manor, it didn’t seem as long as usual until the next full moon. Randy didn’t think it was the best idea to go, spoke to Sam several times previous to the trip, explaining to her that they had a long-standing invitation that he could always cancel if she was planning on delivering early. Sam, typical of her, just laughed. “Rand, it’s not even in the right position yet, even if it’s getting there. It’ll be at least a week, I think you’re safe a few more days. Take your trip and enjoy it, it’s the last one you’ll get to take in any kind of peace.”

John also told him not to worry too much about it, but if Randy wanted to worry, then he would damn well worry. What if he didn’t make it back in time, then Sam said he’d negated on his promise to be there and the deal was off? He didn’t think that would make a difference and hell, she told him to go, but what if she ended up bonding with the kid or something while he wasn’t there? Intellectually he knew it was probably a stupid concern, but that didn’t stop him worrying about it. 

With that on his mind, he was texting Sam before they’d even been driving ten minutes, John giving him a fondly exasperated look. “Dammit Rand, a guy could get jealous.”

“Sorry,” said Randy rather sheepishly. “But people do go into labour early y’know.” 

“Not without signs and she doesn’t have any. If anything, she might be late. Although not too late, I hope. Now I know what she meant about the waiting being a pain.” He raised his eyebrows. “Now Randy, I want to enjoy this time with just us wolves, before we have eighteen years of trying to pretend we’re normal parents.”

“No kid thinks their parents are normal,” Randy pointed out, although there was a smile on his face. “Ours will just be right.”

John laughed at the comment. “Right. So let’s take some time to relax before we have to try not to prove to our child just how right they are.”

By the time they got to the manor, Ted’s car was already pulled up outside and Randy shut off the engine, climbing out and glancing at the front. He could see someone peering out of the nearest window somewhat nervously; Evan, although goodness knew why he had to check it was them. Maybe sooner or later he’d lose his trepidation altogether, but for the moment it seemed like Evan hadn’t quite gotten himself wholly back. Understandable yes, but Randy hoped that Evan would be able to run into his own driveway someday soon without having to double-check that it was who he was expecting parked there.

He waved, leaned casually against the car the way he always did, until John let himself out of the car and slammed the door hard enough to make Randy straighten up. Evan vanished from the window and as the two walked into the house, Evan came almost bounding into the hall, like the puppy he was supposed to be. “Hi guys! No baby yet? You’ll tell us when it’s here, right?”

“We’ll tell you, we’ll tell you, we promise!” Randy chuckled, linking hands with John and the two of them walking with Evan. “Where’s the others?” 

Ted and Cody went up to dump their stuff, but that’s cool – they’ll be down in a few and you should see Chris first.” Evan started to laugh, trying to stifle it. “Just – go with it. You know what he can be like sometimes.”

John raised his eyebrows, looking sideways at Randy. “Okay, now I’m scared.”

Chris turned out to be in the living room, flipping through TV channels. “Thought I heard you two,” he said in a way too casual tone. “Got some things for you – not for you, but y’know. Under the sheets.”

Randy bit back a comment about how that sounded dirtier than was probably intended, glancing over at the dust sheets in the corner. “Um, that looks too big for a rattle.”

“Can we?” When Chris nodded, John went over and pulled the sheet aside. And stared. “Uh Chris – did you buy the baby a drumkit?”

“Never too soon to learn,” said Chris comfortably. 

“Well, usually you wait until it can sit up unaided.”

“And that’s why I bought the guitar too. They do them in child sizes now.”

John smiled. “Well, we appreciate the sentiment if not the sleepless nights.” 

“Having babies is all about the sleepless nights,” Chris said with a smirk. “Hey, did you know that you can get Metallica shirts in newborn sizes?”

“Yes, he got some,” Evan interjected before either of the other men could comment. 

They all heard Ted and Cody come running down the stairs, the pair barging into the room moments later. Ted looked very impressed at the drumkit. “Wow, that’s way cooler than a baby! Can I?”

“You should probably ask the baby when it gets here,” teased John, then indicated that Ted could use them. “Go for it.”

“Awesome,” said Ted with a grin, snatching up the sticks and hammering out a beat that was a long, long way removed from melodic. He looked rather injured at the looks he was getting from the others. “Oh come on, that was really good! I’d like to see any of you do better!”

Chris stood up and indicated for Ted to hand over the drumsticks. John laughed, Randy watching and smirking from the other side of the room. “Well done Teddy. You forget that Chris was the frontman of one of the most famous bands ever?”

“Just because he can sing doesn’t mean he can play the drums,” said Ted, handing over the drumsticks. Chris merely smiled enigmatically and hammered out the kind of drum solo that while not as good as some would have made the majority of Saturday night band beginners weep with envy. Ted shook his head indignantly. “Oh come on, that wasn’t better then mine. Tell him Cody!”

“Cody can’t give an unbiased opinion,” Chris pointed out. “Ev, you decide which was best.”

Evan raised his hands. “Uh-uh, leave us out of this!”

“We have to go uh, I never did show Cody around the gardens,” added Evan, the pair of them hurrying from the room.

“Cowards!” John called after them. 

“Just don’t let him know why you get that secretive grin on your face every time you get to that spot,” added Chris. 

Catching up with Cody at the door, they went outside and Evan started with the courtyard where Cody had retired to when he was speaking to Drew on the phone that day (and slyly indicating the windows directly above that let the sound carry to the dining room, noting Cody’s sudden look of comprehension). Most of the actual garden was close to the manor, extending some distance from it, but the grounds were taken up primarily with fields and the woods. Chris had bought up a huge chunk of land and common theory at the time was that he would extend on the house and perhaps put in an outdoor pool – but the people doing the theorising didn’t know just what he wanted the space for. 

“There’s a gardener comes over once a month to tend to everything,” Evan told Cody as they wandered around the place. “It’s not a really hard place to keep up and you should see it in winter – it looks fantastic. All the snow over everything, we put up Christmas lights as well so that when you drive up, it really puts you in a festive mood. It’s kinda magical.” 

Cody gave him an amused look. “You really love it here, don’t you?”

“I’d love it anywhere Chris was,” replied Evan simply. “But yeah, I love this place. It’s the first place that ever really felt like home. Up here, the gardens go all the way up to the gates on both sides, but there’s an artificial hill at either side of the drive so that if you’re just rolling up, then you can’t really see the fields beyond.”

They were some distance from the manor now, perusing the area leading to the exit. The hillock that Evan had spoken of was in the distance and the area they were walking in was largely paved over, the occasional rosebush adding aesthetic value. Just prior to the hillock was a tree, a wooden bench beneath it and a small ornamental pond. “There’s no fish in that,” said Evan with a slight smile. “They don’t tend to last very long when we’re changed. I don’t know, they’re fascinating to watch and the temptation to catch them’s just too much.”

“That doesn’t matter,” replied Cody, taking a seat on the bench a moment and watching the water. There was some kind of fountain activity going on in it, nothing ostentatious but enough to create a small current to make the water eddy over the stones at the bottom. “It’s tranquil.”

“Yeah.” Evan sat beside him, looking down at the water. “There’s a few other spots dotted around the place, they’re all different but they evoke the same kind of feeling. Chris got them put in because he said life was crazy most of the time before I moved in, he sometimes needed a place to go to have a few minutes peace.”

“That’s true enough for everyone, rock-star werewolf or not,” replied Cody and was rewarded with a grin. “You think Randy and John’ll be fighting to be the ones to get some peace?”

“Good luck to them, Chris is talking about having the water features filled in because they’re a hazard.” Evan laughed a little, no trace of regret in the sound. “I’m just grateful that their kid’s enough for him.”

“Probably not as grateful as Teddy is,” Cody told him. “Come on, we’d better get back to the house before those mates of ours challenge each other to duelling guitars or something. I love Ted to pieces, but he’s not musical.”

“And Chris is far from gracious in victory,” added Evan with a chuckle. “Getting dark anyway. Might as well make the most of this time.”

When the call arrived at 3 in the morning two weeks later (John had been right about Sam being late) Randy almost threw the phone at the wall in frustration—before he recalled who would be the only person with a reason to call them so late and hastily pushed himself into a seated position as he answered the phone. “’Lo?” there was the sound of an engine in the background and also a professional voice offering soothing words; once again Randy found himself hating the unhelpful bloke who Sam had ended up marrying as he realised she must be in an ambulance.

“Sam, Sam?” besides him John was already partially sat up, looking at him enquiringly in the dark and Randy reached for his mate’s hand before turning his attention back to the phone. Sam was breathing heavily, obviously in pain, as she panted out that they needed to get to hospital as soon as possible. Reassuring her that they would be there soon, and that yes, he was still definitely going to be there with her for the duration (as John had pointed out it would only be right if at least one of them was there) Randy then put the phone down and he and John both scrambled out of bed to dress and go.

As always when they were in hospital they both winced under the harsh glare of the fluorescent lights, ignoring the occasional looks that their joint hands received from people. Moving to the front desk (and ignoring the way the over middle-aged woman at the desk twittered at him girlishly) Randy asked whereabouts they would need to go for deliveries. No doubt she was confused why he would need such a place when he was with a man but then gave them directions. Holding onto John’s hand tighter still, feeling the equally sweaty palm and tight grip matching his own, Randy then headed towards the stairs.

After a brisk walk (their speed really came in handy this time) they managed to locate the maternity ward and found Sam. She was settled on a bed with a doctor, the woman speaking lowly to her. He and John released hands and moved to stand on either side of her bed. The doctor said that she was nearly ready, but not quite, so there was a bit of a wait left. Sam gave John a thin smile because of the pain, but her expression was genuine as she looked at him. Randy then realised that this was the first time Sam and John were meeting one another face-to-face.

“John, this is Sam, Sam, this is my partner John.” Randy offered a little glibly, looking embarrassed that he was having to give introductions considering that one would expect they would have met before then. “Nice to meet you, John.” Sam puffed out a slight laugh, “I’m just sorry I look like such a state.” John shook his head, offering her one of his dimpled grins and exuding an air of calm that both Randy and Sam seemed to latch onto even though inside he was as wound up and freaked out as Randy he was sure, neither of them obviously beating Sam. “You look beautiful, Sam,” John said and even though one might think that was a bit odd in the current circumstances Randy could still see the beauty that had drawn him to Sam even though her hair was a bit of a mess and she was sweating. “And thank you.” Sam’s eyes widened for a moment in surprise before she shook her head and smiled back, “No John—thank you.”

~:~

The phone rang at eight in the morning, and Evan had been downstairs with Chris already. The previous night they had had a movie night (some movies bluer than others it must be said) and they had ended up camping out on a few duvets and pillows in an impromptu nest upon their living-room floor before the TV. Evan wriggled from Chris’ arms (Chris grumbling in protest and trying to pull the naked body of his mate back into his arms) and grabbed the phone from its cradle, “Hello?” for a moment there was a strange sound on the other end of the line, but then he realised that it sounded like crying. Or sniffling at the very least. “Hello?” he tried again.

Checking the number swiftly he saw it was John, “John? John?” Evan was beginning to wake more and more with each second. Then, laughter sounded down the phone and there was no mistaking the emotions in the sound; happiness, tiredness, delirium, anything and everything. “Evvy… We’ve got ‘im.” For a moment Evan had no idea what the other was talking about (got who?) but then his brain caught up with him and he squealed loud enough to make Chris bolt upright with a yelp of surprise. “Oh, John, tell me, tell me!” seeing how excited his mate was Chris put two and two together and hastened over to his side, putting the phone on speaker.

“He’s beautiful.” John confessed softly, looking across the room. Sam was fast asleep on the bed, exhausted and contented now that the baby was there and she could sign over the parental rights. She had given them a great gift, even if it was to benefit herself and John would never be able to pay her back. At the side of the bed, sat in a chair and with a small blue bundle in his arms, was Randy. “He’s shockingly small for having been a week overdue!” another quiet, borderline hysterical giggle left John once more and Evan cooed softly, “How much did he weigh?”

“Five pounds.” John said softly, still slightly overawed by that. Across the room Randy looked up and smiled lopsidedly; like John he was also teary eyed, because even though the baby technically wasn’t theirs by blood he felt like theirs by bond seeing as how they had spent the past few weeks making sure they had anything and everything that the baby could possibly want or desire—including unconditional love from both fathers.

“So small…” Evan sighed, smiling softly, Chris giving his middle a small squeeze; the whole pack had settled into the idea of being honorary uncles and granddads (“Or aunts and grandmas,” Randy had teased with regards to Cody and Evan) and were looking forward to being able to fuss their new arrival. Sure, it hadn’t spurred any of them into wanting their own children, per se, but that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t spoil the little boy rotten. “What does he look like?” Chris found himself enquiring and John chuckled lowly as he wiped his eyes on his sleeve, “All red… and he has this amazing shock of black hair already,” he grinned.

Chris grinned, “How is it?”

“Like a bog brush.” John reported, “He’s beautiful. Absolutely.” The pride in his voice was apparent and Chris and Evan both gave congratulations. “So… is the mother Ok? Is he yours?” Evan asked and John nodded before remembering that he was on the phone and then verbally said, “Yeah—Sam wanted to get the papers signed right away. She’s doing alright and she can go home when she’s had some rest overnight… or over-day.” The amendment came when he looked at the clock. “He’s officially ours.” They had had a long discussion about names for both genders, and then about last names. “And, we have a name for him.” John said, hearing two sounds of encouragement at the alpha’s end.

Giving a look to Randy (who nodded) John then said, “Lysander Evan Cena.” For a moment there was silence on the other end of the phone and then Evan squeaked, “Evan?” John’s expression softened, “Do you mind, Puppy? We would have asked sooner, only we wanted it to be a surprise.” Evan was speechless, tears appearing in his eyes and Chris smiled softly before wrapping his arms around his mate and translating Evan’s stunned nods. “He’s honoured, John, thank you very much.”

Then, Chris asked curiously, “How did you decide on the last name?” John’s eyes drifted down to the plain gold band that now encircled Randy’s left ring finger and then down at the matching one he himself wore. “Well… Randy and I decided that we’d forgo the double-barrel when we got married.” The words were so casual that for a minute John didn’t think either man had registered them—and then the outcries from the other end of the phone were so loud that John covered the earpiece for fear of the noise waking Sam or baby Lysander up.

“Yes, I proposed, and no, we can’t talk about it now.” John smiled, “We’ll see you later, guys.” On that note he placed the phone down before moving to stand besides Randy, his mate leaning his head into John’s perfectly healed (though lightly scarred) stomach, sighing softly at the cool material against his cheek, “So, they took it well then?” he mused and John grinned softly, one hand curling around the back of his lover’s neck as the other –the one bearing his ring- stroked a gentle finger over their sleeping son’s cheek. “I’d say so.” He mused softly before gently tilting Randy’s head up, kissing him soundly and lovingly on the lips. “Are you ready to take our baby home?”


End file.
